Le vol de bétail, facteur clef de l'organisation foncière et pastorale dans le pays bara (Sud-Ouest malgache)

Cattle ressling is an ancien way of acquiring livestock for the Bara. The pastoral system is largely influenced by this practice. Each village owns a fixed and delimited pastoral territory which boundaries are controlled daily at passage ways called kizo. Grazing areas and herd watching strategies are determined primarly by security requirements. These constraints have created a rigorous and elaborate organisation. However, the evolution of cattle ressling into a form of national banditism has changed the bara pastoral system. Major alterations affect livestock management and land use pratices. Nevertheless, these changes can be a dynamising factor for a pastoral society facing its future.