RAS question
Which of the following best describes the concept of 'Transhumance' in pastoral farming?
Correct answer: (B) Seasonal movement of livestock between highland summer pastures and lowland winter pastures.
Transhumance in pastoral farming is the seasonal movement of livestock between highland summer pastures and lower winter pastures, usually along set routes.
Explanation
Transhumance is a form of pastoral mobility in which livestock shift seasonally between complementary grazing areas. The standard mountain pattern is upward movement to high or alpine pastures in summer, followed by descent to warmer valleys, foothills, plains, or other lower areas in winter. FAO describes this as livestock moving considerable distances to seek grazing in set seasonal patterns, and notes that in the Himalayan zone the movement is vertical: up to mountain pastures in summer and down to relatively warm areas in winter. That is why option B is precise. It is not permanent settlement in a new place, not route-less wandering, and not enclosed year-round grazing.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Permanent migration changes the pastoralists' place of settlement, whereas transhumance is a recurring seasonal movement between known grazing areas.
- (C) Random wandering with no fixed route describes nomadism more closely, while transhumance follows predictable seasonal patterns between recognised pastures.
- (D) Year-round intensive grazing in enclosed pastures lacks the seasonal movement between summer and winter grazing areas that defines transhumance.
Concept
This tests pastoral farming systems within World Geography, especially how mobility adapts livestock rearing to altitude, season and pasture availability. It recurs in RAS because transhumance is a standard example used to distinguish settled, nomadic and seasonal grazing systems.