How does the pressure of demand for pastureland impact local farming systems? Developments and evidence from South-East Albania

This paper examines how the livestock systems of a mountain municipality in South-East Albania are undergoing some pastures pressure demand due to the recent decentralization process of the management of state and communal pastures. Pastures are major resource for the development of the livestock activity in the selected area. The main hypothesis discussed in this article is that the lack of transitional institutions capable of properly applying the new government management regulations on pasture access for local farmers has exerted pressure and this, therefore, can cause problems of overgrazing if locally adapted governance rules are not improved. By using a mixed approach combining qualitative and quantitative data through interviews with national and local stakeholders, documents and field observation the discussion is done by comparing different parameters of the livestock systems related to the pastures access. In the considered case study, the pastures governance is complex since several modes of ownership and management coexist. According to the results, the government regulation of pastures increased the competition for their availability and access. Securing use rights for the local farmers will be crucial for sustainable pasture management in the long run period.