Prospects for Pastoralism in Kazakstan and Turkmenistan

This collection traces how pastoralists have coped with the challenges of change in a part of the world with a long-tradition of livestock keeping. Their precarious position - balanced between a market system where only the fittest may survive, and their attempt to remain a human resource for the future development of the natural pastures and livestock industry - is carefully and critically examined by the contributors. The pastoralists' unique skills at managing livestock in a variable and challenging environment, and their ability to supply commodities much in demand mean that an understanding of their societal position is essential for anyone interested in transition in the former Soviet Union.

Carol Kerven is a Research Assistant at the Overseas Development Institute, London.

1. 'We have seen two worlds': Impacts of Privatisation on People, Land and Livestock 2. Agrarian Reform and Privatisation in the Wider Asian Region: Comparison with Central Asia Part I: Pastoralists and Rangelands of Southeast Kazakstan 3.Transhumant Ecosystems: Fluctuations in Seasonal Pasture Productivity 4. Collapse of the Livestock Sector: A Catastrophic Convergence of Ecological Degradation, Economic Transition and Climate Change 5. Reconfiguring Property Rights and Land Use 6. New Patterns of Livestock Management: Constraints to Productivity 7. Contraction in Livestock Mobility Resulting from State Farm Re-organisation 8. Privatisation of Livestock Marketing and Emerging Socio-Economic Differentiation Part II: Pastoralists and Rangelands of the Kara Kum Desert, Turkmenistan 9. Shepherds and the State: Effects of Decollectivisation on Livestock Production Systems 10.The Limits of the Land: Pasture and Water Conditions 11. New Patterns of Livestock Management 12. The Costs and Returns of Change: Profiles of Production and Consumption by Pastoralists 13. Privatisation of Livestock Marketing