Nomadic pastoralism is a form of
pastoralism when
livestock are
herded in order to find fresh
pastures on which to
graze. Strictly speaking, true nomads follow an irregular pattern of movement, in contrast with
transhumance where seasonal pastures are fixed. However this distinction is often not observed and the term nomad used for both—in historical cases the regularity of movements is often unknown in any case. The herded livestock include
cattle,
yaks,
sheep,
goats,
reindeer,
horses,
donkeys or
camels, or mixtures of species.
Nomadic pastoralism is commonly practised in regions with little
arable land, typically in the
developing world, especially in the steppe lands north of the agricultural zone of Eurasia. Of the estimated 30–40 million nomadic pastoralists worldwide, most are found in
central Asia and the
Sahel region of West Africa. Increasing numbers of stock may lead to
overgrazing of the area and
desertification if lands are not allowed to fully recover between one grazing period and the next. Increased
enclosure and fencing of land has reduced the amount of land available for this practice.