Institutional change in the Syrian rangelands

During the past forty years, the Syrian rangelands have been the focal poin t of government interventions, These had four major components: assertion o f state ownership over rangelands, settlement and transformation of herders into farmers, formal reorganization of the Bedouin population into range i mprovement and sheep husbandry cooperatives, and development of rangeland r eserves. Each of these interventions has had many implications for livestoc k production, on rangeland management as well as on the livelihood strategi es of herding households and communities, In 1994, the Syrian government to ok a major decision by banning cultivation in rangelands and committed itse lf to enhancing live-stock production through better conservation, improvem ent and management of rangeland resources. The ban on cultivation, which is transforming sheep production systems and livelihood strategies of herding communities, is forcing herding communitie s to devise new strategies for overcoming their production constraints. Und er present range conditions, it is clear that herding communities cannot st ay there all year round and have, necessarily, to seek alternative feed res ources. This article asks the questions: are herding communities likely to revert to old Bedouin livestock production systems based on transhumance an d reciprocity or will they opt to use more individualistic and market-based feed resources? Are feed access strategies differentiated by livestock own ership? How will these changes affect their production systems and liveliho od strategies?