Variation in time allocation among reindeer herders in
Finnmark, Norway
Ph.D-Project: Marius Warg Næss
This project is funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) programme Frittstående prosjekter – Miljø- og Utviklingsforskning (FRIMUF) and is closely connected to Ecosystem Finnmark (EF). The project has as its starting point the geographical variation in reindeer numbers among the Saami reindeer districts. The reindeer husbandry in Norway is characterised by spatio-temporal variation in reindeer numbers, which has been explained by the interaction of climatic condition, differences in herding practices, the presence and rate of predation, pasture quality and availability, and reindeer density. The proposed project aims to study this variation by looking at how herders invest time in reindeer husbandry, i.e. it will focus on variations in time allocation among Saami Photo: Marius Warg Næss reindeer herders in Finnmark, Norway; it will explore how herders deal with decision trade-offs in connection with time use. These trade-offs will most likely result in different herding strategies adopted by different herders, and are believed to be an important factor in explaining geographic variation in the number of reindeer in Finnmark. Moreover, variations in reindeer numbers between different pasture areas, and between different husbandry units may also be explained by such decision trade-offs.
The project will make use time allocation (TA) techniques which provide a framework for a detailed analysis of individual variation and a comparison of the performance of social units such as households, villages etc. The project cooperates with 7 reindeer herders in Finnmark who will, in the course of one year, submit detailed monthly time budgets. The cooperation was initiated in March/April 2006 and is scheduled to finish in March/April 2007 at which time an extensive analyses of the collected data will be undertaken.
eindeer husbandry in Norway is characterised by spatio-temporal variation in reindeer numbers, which has been explained by the interaction of climatic condition, differences in herding practices, the presence and rate of predation, pasture quality and availability, and reindeer density. The proposed project aims to study this variation by looking at how herders invest time in reindeer husbandry, i.e. it will focus on variations in time allocation among Saami Photo: Marius Warg Næss reindeer herders in Finnmark, Norway; it will explore how herders deal with decision trade-offs in connection with time use. These trade-offs will most likely result in different herding strategies adopted by different herders, and are believed to be an important factor in explaining geographic variation in the number of reindeer in Finnmark. Moreover, variations in reindeer numbers between different pasture areas, and between different husbandry units may also be explained by such decision trade-offs.
