Reduction of pasture areas leads to gradual decline in livestock
Nearly 20 Tarakama families live in Gegeli village of Agsu region in northern Azerbaijan. In the winter, Tarakama families move from summer pastures in the Greater Caucasus highlands to a camp about 20 kilometers from the village and take care of their farms.
Jabrail Azimov, 65, drives his car from Gegeli village to the winter camp a couple times a week. He visits his two sons and their families who are living there.
“I work as a nurse in the village hospital. My sons look after my farm – sheep, cows, chickens. Each week I take some food and other things from the village to them,” Azimov says.
The Tarakamas mainly live in the central Aran region as well as a few areas in the south and the west of Azerbaijan. The community isn’t officially registered, and their population is estimated at about 500.
In their “Oguz-Turkman Tribes in Medieval Sources” published in 2012, ethnologists Bahram Mammadli and Anvar Chingizoglu report that as early as the 11th century, tribes originating from Central Asia wandered into the Caucasus, Iran and Anatolia, mixing with the local communities and partially adopting local customs and language. They were referred to as “terakeme” (“turkmens” in Arabic). In Azerbaijan today they speak Azeri and use a few specific words describing their nomadic way of life.
The Tarakama people mainly engage in sheep and cattle breeding. In the morning, shepherds take animals to pastures and bring them back before sundown.
In 2017 the Azerbaijan Cabinet of Minister changed the “Rules for Putting Land in Categories and Their Transfer from One Category to Another”. As a result, most traditional winter pasture land can be used for farming.
Livestock is second only to grain production in Azerbaijan agriculture. But reduction of pasture areas is leading to a gradual decline in livestock. When soil is plowed for cultivating, it cannot be used as a pasture anymore. In this case the Tarakama people need to go to other areas suitable for livestock.
Azimov officially bought the winter pastures in 2005 and use them only for cultivating. He grows corn, barley, wheat and cotton. He sells it to the government and earns about 8,000-9,000 manat ($US 4,700-5,300) annually.
Azimov has 200 head of sheep and 35 cattle plus poultry. Like other Tarakamas, he takes his cattle and sheep to the pastures of neighboring villages.
“These plowed lands are not suitable for cattle and sheep. That’s why we need other green areas,” Azimov says.
Vahid Maharramov, an agriculture expert, thinks cultivating should not be developed at the expense of reducing pasture areas.
“Half of the natural pasture lands of Azerbaijan are in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is under occupation. That is why our government should save other pasture areas. The government should protect a lot of grassland,” he says.
Maharramov also thinks since there is no modern practice in farming, there is low productivity. At the same time, cattle and sheep breeding has dropped because of lack of pastures and low feed reserves in the country. He said farming should be based on the demands of the market.
According to The Ministry of Agriculture, not all winter pastures are used for livestock. It suggests cotton growing can be improved, especially in the Aran region.
Fariz Khalili, chairman of “Miras Public Union” and a Tarakama folklore researcher, fears the weakening of the livestock culture also means the disappearance of the Tarakama lifestyle.
“The collapse of traditional livestock breeding brings the collapse of the cultural system,” he said. “If people in Europe keep theirs for hundreds of years, we should, too. This is not just for development, but also for culture.”
GIPA Media School 