Despite a global trend toward settlement, the incidence of pastoral nomadism is on the rise in the Marwar region of Rajasthan, India. Typical explanations for this change use models of population pressure; increasing herds and decreasing pasture are held to blame. This explanation, however intuitive, is unsatisfactory. Instead, changing institutional and economic patterns are creating new contexts for strategic movement. Bottlenecks in the yearly resource calendar, caused by the disintegration of obligatory social relationships, force migrations during periods of scarcity. Changes in the volume and pattern of the meat and wool markets have also created opportunities for migrating pastoralists. Producers increase their access to markets and the reproductive rate of their herd through long, annual, migration. While nomadism is a general adaptation to changes in the socioeconomic conditions of the region, differential resource endowments account for the range of strategies; wealthy herders have opportunities not enjoyed by more marginal producers.

Migration Rajasthan Nomadism Pastoralism Institutions

livestock health care planning India population economics demography social change Southern Asia Migrants developing country Population Dynamics Developing Countries migration determinants Asia institutional framework Health Resources economic conditions nomadic people Socioeconomic Factors socioeconomics Article organization and management Organization And Administration migration migration deterinants nomadism Resources India, Rajasthan Demographic Factors pastoralism Nomads Rajasthan Emigration and Immigration Economic Factors Transients and Migrants Macroeconomic Factors