Authors:
federica ravera | universitat de Vic | Spain
Sara Palomo | Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Marina García Llorente | Madrid Institute for Rural, Agricultural and Food Research and Development (IMIDRA), | Spain
José Antonio Gonzalez | Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Marcos Easdale | INTA-EEA Bariloche, Sistemas de Producción y Territorios - Desarrollo Rural | Spain
Natural resources management, networks and discourses, alliances and conflicts
We explore present and future of extensive livestock and pastoralism under several drivers of change in two case studies analysed through a mixed-method approach. The first case, located in Sierra Morena, in Southern Spain, is an example of extensive livestock management system, including transhumant pastoralism, affected by rural abandonment versus agricultural intensification, due to competition with more profitable activities such as intensive olive grove cultivation and game hunting. The second case, located in the NW Andean Patagonia, Argentina, focuses on transhumant pastoralism, which is currently threaten by urbanization processes, whereas the area is also increasingly shared by other more profitable activities such as forestry, tourism and mining.
In this comparative analysis, we explored the visions of key stakeholders and intervention agents on the current situation and future role of extensive livestock and pastoralism in the context of the land-use changes mentioned above using a Q methodology. We then analysed through Social Network Analysis the existing relationships of information exchange and conflicts among local institutions in the case of Sierra MOrena and the work and information exchange networks in the case of Patagonia..
Results from Sierra Morena showed the existence of three different discourses among social actors, but a large consensus regarding the management strategies. The social network revealed high cohesion and communication exchange, as well as a low level of conflicts among actors. In the Patagonia case, results showed the existence of six different discourses among social actors, but a large consensus regarding the support of traditional transhumant pastoralism and the associated cultural capital and lifestyle. The main differences were related to perceived problems and main threats, and hence the highlighted solutions. Social network analyses revealed high cohesion through some key social actors with high centrality positions.
The combination of the two methodological approaches showed a high complementarity. Discourse analysis allowed for a deep understanding of common views of existing problems and underlying conflicts, and suggested that new possibilities could emerge for extensive livestock farming and pastoralism through the collaborative effort of the different socio-economic sectors. Social network analysis, on the other hand, allowed us to identify and characterize marginalized actors, conflicting positions and current and potential alliances. However, differences in the point of view of the main regional problems should be taken into account in order to foster consensus to better orient policy design.