RANGELANDS 16(1), February1994 21

Rangeland Production Systems in Balochistan, Pakistan

Abelardo Rodriguez

Introduction million goats, 0.8 million cattle, and 0.24 million camels. Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan, with Of the 4.3 million people living in Balochistan in 1981, 16°h were located in urban areas while the rest were in 34.5 million ha (45%of thetotal area), 4.3 million people in 1981 and an estimated population of 7.1 million in 1990 rural areas. Population growth has increased the already on the (Van Gilesand Baig1991). It is locatedin the western part excessively high pressure rangeland resources, of Pakistan, sharing borders with Iran to the west and posing serious questionsabout the sustainability of the livestock sub-sector. Afghanistan to the north (Fig. 1). Irrigated fruits and Rangeland Resources and PropertyRegImes The rangelands have been broadlyclassified into 'poor', 'medium', and 'high' potential areas, producingannually less than 50kg, 60-190kg and 200-250 kg dry matterper hectare, respectively. The rangelands classifiedas poor cover about 62% of the Province and are generally in the south, and those classifiedas medium (25% of the area) and high (13% of the area) potential areas are mostly on the highlands (Fig. 1) above 1,000 m. An unknownarea within these classes is mountain sides and plateaux covered by thin soils usually inaccessible to grazing.The range vegetation typeschange from south to north as the rainfalldecreases. Inthe south desert scrubsdominate; in the central areathere is a shrub steppe of Haloxylonand Artemesia(sagebrush) species and in the north a peren- nial grassland based on species of Cymbopogonand Chrysopogon. Many of the native annuals have almost disappeared due to heavy grazing pressure (Thomson and Rodriguez 1994). There are two types of rangelands in Balochistan, depending on property regimes: common and open rangelands. Common rangelands are traditionallyowned by tribes, with customaryinstitutional arrangements for their sustainability and effective management. Open rangelands have unrestricted access and are free to all and are usuallydeteriorated rangelands that used to be commonly owned. At some point in time, the group or tribe makes a decision as to whethera rangeland is so degraded that it should not be considered as a common rangeland. Open rangelands have been increasing in an areaas themore exclusive common have lost 1. Balochistan m Pakistan. rangelands FIg. Highland (above 1,000 altitude), the ability to sustainthe animals' grazing needs and are vegetables produce most of the agricultural value. While abandoned by their owners (Buzdar et al. 1989). thevalue of crop production has been increased through Twofactors have causedrangeland degradation: excessive use of irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticides, the value of populationgrowth and external socialand economicfor- livestock production has increased mainly because ces. For example: "In 1980, war in Afghanistan caused of the largernumbers of animals, mostly small ruminants massive migrations to Pakistan. At least 3 million refu- and camels. Balochistanhas 11.3 million sheep and 7.4 gees fled into Pakistan with their livestock, 600,000 peo- with 4.8 million and to Balochistanalone. The author is an agricultural economistin the Farm Resource Management ple sheep goats Program, Intl. Center of Agr. Research in the Dry Areas, P.O. Box 5466, Because they have largely concentrated in a number of Aleppo,Syria. Thispaper waswritten while theauthor wasworking as advisor tothe MART Prolect, Arid Zone Research Institute,Quetta, Pakistan. Financial camps along the borderareas, their presence hasresulted support fromthe united StatesAgency for International Development isgrate- in extremes of degradation in the neighborhoodsof their fully acknowledged. 22 RANGELANDS16(1), February 1994 camps in northern Balochistan.The effect of a sudden increase equivalent to 14% of the total livestock and human population in Balochistan on the already satu- ratedand fragile environment has been drastic."(Cossins 1988). Grazing Systems The three major grazing systems in Balochistan are nomadic, transhumant, and sedentary; these depend on the lifestyle of the animal ownerand the rangeland prop- erty regime. True Nomadic Grazing Systems The true nomadsfollow the seasonal patternsof forage production, spending thesummers in the coldhighlands in Central Asia and winters in the warmer lowlands of Pakistanand India. They move across the open range- landswhere they spend afew days,or sometimes weeks if range vegetation is abundant. They can pass throughthe tribal commonrangelands, but cannotprolong their stay. In the lowlandsof the Indusvalley they have contactswith local farmers,fromwhom they buy stubblegrazing rights, straw,and otherfeed for their animalsand sell their own labor, animals, and animal by-products.Their arrival in the lowlandsmust coincide with the harvesting season so Fig. 2. Nomadic pastoralistson the move in the Quetta valley. they can sell their labor and buy cheap feed for their dependent on their small ruminants. They are co-owners animals. Likewise, their return to the highlands in the in the common tribal rangelands, and in most cases their spring and summer must coincide with the growth of movements take placeonly within the limits oftheir tribal palatable forage resources and with seasonallabor require- lands. They move from commonlyowned rangelands to ments (Buzdar et al. 1989). the open rangelands asforage availability fluctuates, and Thirtypercent of the small ruminants in Balochistan are they usually return to their permanent dwellings in the reared under this type of grazing system (FAO 1983). rangelands during the summer months. In years of Nomadic familiesown 80-100 head of sheep and goats, drought, some of them take their familiesand animalsto with about 20 animalsper male family member. Three or the nearbyagricultural valleys, where the family sells its four families keep their livestock together, making up labor, and their animals graze stubble or grasses in and flocks of about300 animals. A nomadic flock of 100 anim- around the fields. They possess camels and donkeys, als, ofwhich 85 are sheep and 15 are goats, usually has45 which are used for transportation of crops and other breeding ewes and 8 does (FAO 1983). The estimated goods. They earnenough moneyby these means to buy daily income of one adult in 1992 rupees was Rs13 per wheatgrain and other supplies (Buzdaretal. 1989).Trans- day, which was one quarter of the urban daily wage of humantflock sizesrange from 20 to 80 sheep and goats. Rs55. Dataon health and educationare not available from Sixty-five percentof the sheep and 50% of the goats are these nomads, but it is easy to deduce that basic services managed as transhumant flocks (FAO 1983). are not available or are well below the provincialaverage. Given this extreme poverty,itseems unrealistic to design Sedentary Grazing Systems livestockdevelopment schemes beforegreatly improving Most of the people living in the agricultual villages in the welfareof this sector of the population. Balochistan raise a few anImals. This supplementary animal sometimes accountsfor a of TranshumantGrazing Systems raising majorportion Buzdar et al. between transhum- thehousehold income and helpsincrease farm productiv- (1989) distinguished Women a not in the of antswith land transhumants) ity. play major role, only raising ownership(semi-sedentary these animals, but also in their and those without it (semi-nomadictranshumants). The converting by-products transhumants raise rainfed into food and saleable items like carpets. Usually a shep- semi-sedentary crops, mainly herdis to takecare of all the animals in a winter wheat. Each winter they move from the central employed village of Balochistan tothe warmer areas of the Indus as a single flock. As the agricultural villages are normally highlands inhabited members of the same or clan When are in the lowlands, behave like the by lineage group, valley. they they have use over the to the nomadicpopulation, sellingtheir labor, animals, and by- they rights rangelands adjacent tothe farmers and from them village (Buzdar et al. 1989). products crop buying grains 70'sthere has been and feed for their animals. Since the mid a steadydecrease in the number of transhumant herds; flocks are The semi-nomadic transhumants are almostcompletely many becoming increasinglysedentary as communities settle RANGELANDS16(1), February1994 23 aroundthe permanentwater from new tubewells, and as Credit is not readilyavailable for small land-owners, and formershepherds increasingly find alternativework oppor- only 1 2% of the households had borrowedfrom theAgri- tunities (Cossins 1988). The presence of irrigationwater cultural Development Bank. Large land-ownerstook 38% in certain areasof Balochistan hasencouraged an increase of the loanswhile farmers with 5-20ha were granted 62% in the livestock population through the availability of of the loans (Massod et al. 1988). Small producersover- stubble and fodder. At the same time, when the stubble come this by using their sheep and goats as collateralto and fodder are not available for grazing or foraging, the obtain credit from money lenders. When cash is required, animals are turned out on the commonor open range- usually in poor agricultural years or for special social landswithout appropriatemanagement. Depletionof the occasions, money is borrowed and paid back in kind vegetation cover has reduced the ability of the water- (sheep or goats) in better agricultural years. Interest, if sheds to retain rainfall, and this in turn leads to less calculated on money borrowed against live animals, can recharging of ground water. Extraction of water has be excessive and much greaterthan the interest charged increased greatlyfor irrigationand for the growingtowns at banks. However, farmers indicatedthat they do not andvillages. Forexample,theWaterPowerDevelopmentAuthorfty trust banks. Bank regulationsdictate foreclosure when a estimated that the annual decline in the water table in the farmercannot pay backthe loan, whereas money lenders Quettavalley was 0.15 m during 1900-1960,0.24 m during are morelenient. Also, banksdo not take small ruminants 1960-1980, and 3.05 during 1980-1990 (Van Giles and as collateral (Nagyetal. 1991). Baig 1991). of Meat and Skins Socio-economicinfluences might change thestructure Marketing Livestock, of Balochistan society in the coming years and allow Not many producers can affordto travel long distances, more control over rangelands, but this change may not ranging from 20-50 kmto intermediarymarkets or 40-150 occur fast enough to slow down the degradationof the km to terminal markets, to sell their livestock. Most of rangevegetation (Nagy etal. 1991).The only examples of them do not have moneyfor transportation, and they lack sustainable range management with the traditionaltribal the connectionsor information that could help them to structureare underconditions of low populationpressure take advantage of the supply and demand situation when (Buzdaretal.1989), whichare now almostnon-existent in the decisionto sell is made. About 69%of the retail value Balochistan. of small ruminants (meat, and edible and non-edibleby- products) is received by the producersin highlandBalo- Resource Endowment of Livestock Producers chistan, whilethe remaining3l% represents thevalue of Over 90% of the farms in Balochistan range between the services provided by village dealers, commission 1-20 ha in size (GOP 1981 Census of Agriculture, as agents, beoparis(wholesalers), and butchersinvolved in reported by Massod et al. 1988). The average number of the marketingchain from producer to consumer(Mah- sheep per household in Balochistari is 60 sheep and 32 mood and Rodriguez, 1993). goats. Afew owners possess flocksof morethan 400 head Livestock and meat grading is absent, but there is (GOP 1989).Thirty percentof sheep and 20%of goats are government regulationof retail prices. Thus, consumers used for household consumption, or social purposes do not have waysto conveytheir degree of dissatisfaction such as gifts to relatives, bridal prices, or sacrifices (Buz- to producersthrough the intermediaries in the marketing daretal. 1989). Most of the goat hairand about55% of the chain.This majorstructural problem at the provincialand wool is used at home, usually to make carpets, and the national level does notencourage productionand market rest of the fleecesare marketed. efficiency. The intricate marketing chaincould be improved The percentage of income(cash and credit)from sheep for the benefit of producers and consumers; overall and goats as a percentage of agricultural incomeranges volume of the marketcould be higher, the quality of the from 40—50°hin the northern areas of highlandBalochis- meat could be improved, andsome marketing costscould tan to 70-60% in the southern areas (Nagy et al. 1991). be reduced (Mahmood and Rodriguez 1993). Off-farm income is also becoming more important for After mutton (meat from either sheep or goats), skins farm familiesand there is a trend of increasing migration are the secondmajor sourceof wealth in the small rumi- to larger centers, and even for men to go to work in the nant componentof the livestocksubsector. Balochistan Persian Gulf. The importance of off-farm income is ships approximately2.9 million skinsto tanneries in Pun- strongly relatedto the weatherconditions. In good rain- jab and Sindh provinces. Because of cuts and tears the fall years 10—15% of the total income is off-farm, but in skins do not fetch the higher pricesthey could command bad rainfallyears the off-farm income ranges from 35 to if they were handled morecarefully. Indeed, skinsof bet- 65°h (Rees et al. 1987). terquality are being imported from neighboringcountries Creditcould be used by livestock producers fordiverse- to meet the demand from the Pakistani leather industry. purposes: to offset the effectsof poor agriculturalyears, A major question is how the livestock producers can to improveanimal husbandry practices, to improvethe take advantage of the potential production and market rangeland condition (deferred grazing), to initiatefourw- opportunities.Deficient extension services and general- ing saltbush (A triplexcanescens) fodder banks, toshorten ized poverty explain why there has been little progress the marketing chain, or to fulfill social obligations. with livestockproducers. Extension services, when avail- 24 RANGELANDS 16(1), February 1994 able, have focussedon the biological aspects of produc- designingoperational alternatives for Balochistan'spas- tion (flushing, vaccination,supplementation, breeding, toralists to help them to take advantage of techniques of etc.) while neglectingthe socialand economicaspects of range management or to recreate traditional manage- production and marketing. There are no easy ways to ment schemes. improvethe welfare of the livestock producers. Institu- tional research requires betterfinancial support to carry Literature CIted out a comprehensive agenda on livestockdevelopment. Buzdar,N., J.G. Nagy, G.F.Sablr, and J.D.H. Keatlnge. 1989. Animal Perhaps the most important deficiency among govern- raising in highland Balochistan: a socio-economic perspective. ment and the internationaldonor communityis MART/AZR Project Research Report No. 50, ICARDA, Quetta. agencies Cossins, N.J. 1988. Islands in the desert, prospectsfor rangeland that there is no strategic social or economic planning rehabilitation and sustainable livestock production in Balochis- which addresses the needs of pastoralists and agro- tan. Unpublishedmanuscript. pastoralists based on livestockfarming systems studies. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). 1983. Report of the assistance to rangeland and livestock development survey in Balochistan.FAQ technical cooperation program, TCP/PAK/0107, Conclusions FAQ, Islamabad, Pakistan. The valueof Balochistan'sannual offtakeis not likely to GOP(Government of Pakistan). 1989. PakistanCensus of Livestock increase the nearfuture. resources are deterio- 1986.Agricultural Census Organization, Statistics Division, Govern- in Forage ment of Pakistan,Lahore. rating due to demographic pressures and deficient range Nagy, J.G., G.F. Sabir, and J.M. Stubbs. 1991. Sheep and Goat management. There are no market incentives for live- Production in Upland Baluchistan, Pakistan. Small Ruminant stock to offtakesince there is a Research 4:219—233. producers improve ceiling K.and A. 1993. and of mutton and there is lack livestock Mahmood, RodrIguez. Marketing Processing price for a of grading Small Ruminants in Highland Balochistan.Small Ruminant Re- systems. search 10:93-102. Nomadicpastoralists with no grazing rights respondto Massod, M.A.,M. Afzai,J.G. Nagy,and S.M.Khan. 1988. Agricultural fluctuations in resources and with the risk of and relatedstatistics of uplandBalochistan. MART/AZR Research forage cope Report No. 5, ICARDAQuetta. droughts by moving. In contrast,transhumant pastoral- Rees, D.J., J.G Nagy, S.H. Raza, K. Mahmood,B.A. Chowdry, and istsand sedentary livestockproducers have allowed their J.D.H. Keatlnge. 1987. The dryland arable farming system of flocks to grow close to or above the feeding capacity of upland Baluchistan: a case study. MART/AZR Research Report rainfed cereal These livestock who No. 5, ICARDAQuetta. crops. producers, Thomson, E.F. and A. RodrIguez.1994. Land and range resource have grazing rights, are responsible forthe conversion of management issues and food security in Balochistan. interna- common rangelands into less productiveopen rangelands. tional Center for Agricultural Research in the DryAreas, Aleppo, The population growth in the tribes of Balochistan, Syria. Van Gus, H., and S. BaIg (eds.). 1991. EnvironmentalProfile Balo- along with external economic and social forces, has chistan Pakistan,Seminar draft, Serena Hotel, Quetta, October played an important role in the weakeningof the tradi- 20-21. International Institute of Aerospace Survey and Earth tional system of common property range management. Sciences,Enschede, The Netherlands,and the Ecology Unit, Soil of Pakistan. This weakeningneeds to be taken into considerationin Survey Pakistan,Lahore,

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