Hoofprints on the Land: How Traditional Herding and Grazing Can Restore the Soil and Bring Animal Agriculture Back in Balance with the Earth - Paperback

by Ilse Köhler-Rollefson (Author), Fred Provenza (Foreword by)

Perfect for fans of English Pastoral and Wilding, Hoofprints on the Land shows that herding cultures are not a thing of the past but a regenerative model for our future.

Hoofprints on the Land is a fascinating and lyrical book exploring the deep and ancient working partnerships between people and animals. UN advocate and camel conservationist Ilse Köhler-Rollefson writes a passionate rallying cry for those invisible and forgotten herding cultures that exist all over the world, and how by embracing these traditional nomadic practices, we can help restore and regenerate the Earth. Ilse has spent the last 30 years living with and studying the Raika camel herders in Rajasthan, India, and she shows how pastoralists can address many of the problems humanity faces.

Whether it be sheep, cattle, reindeer, camels, alpacas, goats, or yaks--this ancient and natural means of keeping livestock challenges the myth that animal-free agriculture is the only way forward for a healthy planet.

From the need to produce food more sustainably and equitably to the consequences of climate change, land degradation and loss of biodiversity, we can learn from pastoralists to help repair the human relationship with livestock to return to a model of intelligent cooperation rather than dominance.

As Ilse writes: "Herding is therapy, not just for the planet, but also for our souls."

Author Biography

Ilse Köhler-Rollefson lives in Rajasthan, India where she owns a small herd of camels and has co-founded the country's first camel dairy. Her work has been recognised by the Maharaja of Jodhpur and she has received India's highest award for women from its president as well as the Order of Merit from the President of Germany. Ilse studied veterinary medicine in Germany before working as an archaeozoologist in Jordan where she discovered her fascination with camels and herding cultures. After completing her Ph.D. on camel domestication, she studied the Raika camel culture of India which led her to found the League for Pastoral Peoples (www.pastoralpeoples.org), an international advocacy organisation that is giving a voice to herders at the global level. Ilse is regularly quoted and interviewed by mainstream media, including the BBC, Forbes India and the Hindustan Times and she has given a TEDX Talk about The Nomads that feed us.
www.ilse-koehler-rollefson.com Twitter @IlseKohler