Socio-productive characterization and agroecological analysis of Spanish transhumance

Transhumant livestock systems play a key role in the socioecological sustainability and dynamics of rural territories, contributing to local, healthy, and culturally appropriate food supplies, as well as to ecosystem and social functions and processes. In Spain, transhumance represents an ancestral livelihood with significant cultural and identity value that has endured substantial land-use and socioeconomic changes. This article presents a socio-productive characterization of transhumant livestock systems in Spain from an agroecological perspective, encompassing their economic, productive, socio-cultural, political, and governance aspects. We followed an analytical mixed-methods approach and conducted 84 interviews with transhumant herders from eight regions of Spain. The methodology included content analysis and quantitative multivariate analyses and evaluated the alignment of transhumant practices with agroecological principles defined by the United Nations High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE). The findings reveal diversity among Spanish transhumants and a common cultural and practical foundation, shaped by similar political, economic, and ecological pressures and circumstances. We identified three types of transhumant livestock systems, corresponding to transhumant groups from the Conquense and Segoviana drove roads and from Santiago-Pontones. Despite constraints from agrarian intensification policies, market dynamics, environmental changes, and regulatory issues, transhumant herders demonstrate resilience, drawing strength from their social bonds, common land-tenure schemes, heritage, intra-family support, and efficient resource-use practices. There is a need for greater research, policy adaptation, and social recognition of transhumant systems to ensure food security, sustain rural livelihoods, and the coexistence of food systems and nature.