Paper short abstract:

Despite ecological and social benefits living as a herder and selling the products derived is increasingly hard in Catalonia. Through the presentation of three ethnographic case studies the paper argues that social normativity enforced by public policies is the main cause of its threat of extinction

Paper long abstract:

In Catalonia (Spain) living as a herder and selling the products derived from the herd is increasingly hard. From the public administration discourses, pastoralism is an activity that offers great benefits for the conservation of natural environments and benefits supply chains of quality products and of food proximity in rural areas. It is also part of the cultural and historical heritage of different rural areas. However, it is at risk of disappearing. The socio-cultural perception of herder as a way of life and the complicated institutional, bureaucratic and economic networks in which the occupation of herder is embedded, are the main causes of its threat of extinction. Based on ethnographic fieldwork between 2013 and 2017 in Catalonia, the paper aims to present three case studies of young people who want to continue with the pastoralist way of life in Catalonia and delves into (1) the impact of public policies on their initiatives and the way herders perceive them, and (2) the perception of public authorities of their own policies and their effects.