Pastoralism represents a primary source of livelihood in Sardinia. Traditional pastoral practices which made effective use of local territories have smartly integrated into international policy frames and global market networks.
The Pecorino Romano is today one of the most exported cheeses in the world, and its commercialisation is a primary source of revenue for the Sardinian pastoral economy. The evolving EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has also provided significant economic and organisational support to Sardinian farmers. Supported mainly by these two pillars, Sardinian pastoralists typically navigate and continuously adapt to evolving uncertainties and shifting conditions, even as investigated by a PASTRES case study.
This article is from PASTRES, a research programme that aims to learn from pastoralists about responding to uncertainty and resilience, with lessons for global challenges. PASTRES is co-hosted by IDS.