Integrating immigrant workforce in European pastoralism : reality, policy and practices

Abstract

This work addresses the relevance of immigrant communities in a specific agricultural sector, extensive livestock husbandry – pastoralism. This activity provides a primary source of employment and income specifically in inner and remote rural areas, where intensive farming systems are unfeasible. Trends in the last three decades indicate severe decrements of pastoral farms and herds throughout Europe, and specifically in its southern flanks. Shortage of skilled and motivated shepherding workforce ranks amongst the main triggers of these processes. In Mediterranean Europe, inflows of international immigrants have importantly contributed to fill these gaps, providing critical, though temporary, solutions to the labour market shortcomings. This work questions the opportunity to integrate immigrant shepherds in the process of generational renewal for Euro-Mediterranean pastoralism, and the effectiveness of existing experiences concerning institutional and technical support for these processes. This poses further policy and research questions about the potentials for immigrant communities to contribute to sustainable patterns of rural development. Last decades are seeing severe decrements of pastoral farms and herds throughout Europe. Global competition has forced a restructuring of pastoral practices, pushing towards an expansion of flock size, the intensification of its management and a reorganization of labour regimes. Shortage of skilled and motivated shepherding workforce represents a main uncertainty for this sector. The migrant workforce currently contributes to fill these gaps, and has converted into a strategic resource for pastoral farms, and a critical asset for keeping inner and remote territories vibrant and productive.