Essay About Nomadic People Of The Middle East And Adequate Pastoral Areas

Bedouin SocietyEssay title: Bedouin SocietyIntroductionThe Bedouins, a nomadic people of the Middle East, are an indigenous people just as any other indigenous people around the world, striving for economical, political, and cultural autonomy. Even living in the harsh environment that the Middle East is, with the political and religious clashes between countries and even the deadly environment, which the Middle East is known for, the Bedouin people still continue to live with so much diversity surrounding them. Unfortunately since the 1970’s, the Bedouin people are in a clash with the Israeli government concerning land rights and the assimilation of the Bedouin people into the Israeli society. Nonetheless, the Bedouin people still strive for the self-sufficiency and self-determination, so that they can continue to live in their own traditional ways. This way of life, the traditional way of life, without surrounding societies controlling their (the Bedouin) everyday lives, is what the Bedouin people want, and it is what they deserve.

Economic OrganizationDroughtThe land our tribe pastures in hit us with drought,Leaving there nothing to gain;With her stick she beat us till we up and got out,Concerned lest the strength of our swift camels wane.(Bedouin Poetry: From Sinai and the Negev)The primary subsistence and economic activity for the Bedouin people is “animal husbandry by natural graze and browse of sheep, goats, and camels” (Galy 43). Unlike most societies around the world, where the majority of the income of the people is through businesses, markets, and even the internet, the Bedouin people pursue a different course of economic business which is common in third-world countries and nomadic tribes around the world; pastoral nomadism. This economic way of life for the Bedouin people surrounds this idea of pastoral nomadism has been in existence for at least three millennia.

The root of pastoral nomadism encompasses the basic idea of migration, which is “the pattern of which is determined by a combination of seasonal and a real variability in the location of pasture and water” (Galy 43). However, since water and adequate pastoral areas are in short supply, the survival of the herd and herdsmen themselves are endangered every day, as the migration to new and hospitable land is necessary. If land and/or water are unavailable for the herds and herdsmen, tribes of the Bedouins can fail. Since it is one of their primary ways of producing income, by having a failure, it would be catastrophic to their economic structure. Furthermore, water and general grazing areas are rarely found in random areas around the Middle East; however, they are generally dispersed in a normal fashion in accordance with a particular seasonal pattern of the climate (for example, during the wet seasons of the Middle East, more areas of water will be present, and during the dry season, less areas of water are present).

Even if there are adequate areas of land for grazing and efficient water holes around their area of living, there are still other variables, which destroy this primary economic phase. Unfortunately, initially starting during the 1960’s, trucks and other motor vehicles “have come to replace camels as beasts of burden; today a truck serves to bring feed and water to the herds in the desert” (Galy 44).

Another important aspect to the economical life of the Bedouin people is the basis of trade amongst themselves and other tribes in the area. There are numerous means exploited by the Bedouin people to guarantee themselves access to food, water, and other essential produce.

One form of producing food for the household is through sowing and harvesting their own produce. This aspect is only applicable if the household is “close to enough to rain-fed cultivation” (Galy 44). If no water is available for watering the crops, this form of fabricating foods is useless. However, if the households were within a passable distance of an oasis, then this form of cultivation would be perfect, because after harvesting the produce, then the household can trade the food for essential living items, such as cattle, oils, and use as payment (monetary value). In addition to the idea of using produce as a form of payment, many farmers/households use their harvest to pay ‘protectors’. These protectors are big factors in the Middle East region, especially with the Bedouin people, as they protect the lands and more importantly the crops of the Bedouin people from raids of other tribes. “This tribute/raid relationship was a simple business proposition whereby the pastoralist

s (the pastoralist) brought with them their own produce, thus increasing the value of their produce but also enhancing the farmers’ power of production and a better living standard for their children and grandchildren. The agricultural practices of the Bedouins can be described as simple and effective.

Table 26: The Bedouin Farmers of the Middle East, by Year of Birth, 2015 and 2016 of the Middle East Countries in World Population

Source: Middle East Analysis System (DALAS).pdf, accessed July 12, 2016.

Table 27: Middle Eastern Farmers of the Middle East, by Year of Birth, 2016 of the Middle East Countries in World Population

Source: Middle East Analysis System (DALAS).pdf, accessed July 12, 2016.

Table 28: In addition to the two basic factors cited in Table 26, there is an other aspect of production related to the Middle Eastern origin of Food.

A small amount of production material related to Middle Eastern origin is also available because some of the production for cereals and fruits has had a very small influence on people’s consumption of cereals.  Although some of these crop production materials are not the primary sources of food, the primary source of Food could be products of the Middle Eastern subsistence farming sector. In particular, cereals such as olives, peanuts, corn, and nuts are often marketed for a large portion of the country. This is especially true in the Arab World because the Middle Eastern sector of cereals is dominated by the same crops as the European and Latin American regions and it is a large factor in the distribution of these crops.  However, the Arab World has been able to bring its agricultural goods with it.

In addition, there also exists a second aspect of production involved in rice production. It can be claimed that most of the rice produced in Arab countries are imported from Europe and North America at the expense of European wheat production.  The wheat produced in the Middle East is predominantly from South Asian countries.

In addition this area is much more dynamic than in Europe and North America, since much of Europe has suffered greatly from crop deflation in the past 12 to 14 years.  In North America, the cost of wheat is low, especially for the agricultural production of rice, which has been able to recover by increasing agricultural production as well as increasing production of processed maize.  However, in the Middle East, the cost of wheat and other refined grains has been on the very rise since the 20th century.  This is primarily due to the fact that it is harder to obtain from other producers, as opposed to wheat, refined grains, or other grains that have been processed for years instead of being grown or grown in the fields.  In other words, the cost of refined grains has been decreasing over the past six years.

In the Middle East, the price of wheat seems to be decreasing and there are also improvements in export conditions.  For example, in the middle of the 19th century, wheat imports began to decline slightly.  However, prices for refined grains continue to fall, since wheat imports are still cheaper domestically than in Europe, as seen in the recent past.  The cost of wheat products continues to increase because of this reduction in the cost of imports to the Middle East countries.  A decrease in exports of grains has led to decreasing food production in the Middle East compared to the European portion of the economy as a whole.

The Middle East is a complex area and has experienced many changes in over the last six years.  In the last six years or so, most of the changes have involved changes in the trade pattern.   Changes may involve:  a) more efficient trade practices among exporting countries, especially to lower priced countries that are more open to trade with the