Abstract
While the new societal expectations, focused on sustainable development, endow Mediterranean pastoral systems with tangible advantages (environmentally-friendly breeding, quality products, keeper of traditions), they seem mired in a strange paradox where the robustness forged over thousands of years as being the only way of maintaining them in a extensive environment, actually makes them highly vulnerable to the technological innovations and developments of the current socio-economic environment. More importantly, as the only ones to possess original assets (local breeds, know-how etc.) and able to differentiate them and add value to them in the current context of globalization, these systems probably make the least effort to preserve such resources and such a heritage. Referring to a number of examples of recent innovations and based on the paradigm of complexity and systemic analysis, the author reflects on some of the reasons for this paradox. In his analysis he suggests combining the field of technical innovation with cognitive, organizational and cultural aspects to form ‘an anthropological whole’ which is necessary to maintain a balance between the system and its environment and, by the same token, to explain the conditions for ownership and for learning innovation.
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Notes
- 1.
This neologism is used here by the author to emphasise and reify the quality and cleanliness of the pastoral world.
- 2.
It should be noted that while traditional pastoral systems use extensive areas, they have nevertheless become highly intensified with regard to the mobilisation of human capital and in particular of know-how.
- 3.
In this context, the know-how related to developing taste is recorded in a housekeeping book passed on from mother to daughter in the same way as sewing or cooking procedures.
- 4.
Some talk about a gift (‘if you don’t have the gift at parturition, when all the kids arrive at the same time, you’re lost’), others refer to the need ‘to be born into it’ to learn these skills.
- 5.
Bouche and Hugot (1999) suggest this term as an analogy to the guidance system observed in bats.
- 6.
Invented for the occasion but referring to real remarks made by breeders collected in the field (Bouche et al., 2004).
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Bouche, R. (2012). Mediterranean pastorality5: sustainable know-how in search of development. In: Bouche, R., Derkimba, A., Casabianca, F. (eds) New trends for innovation in the Mediterranean animal production. EAAP – European Federation of Animal Science, vol 129. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-726-4_40
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-726-4_40
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