Traditional part-time grazing: a more sustainable sheep milk and cheese production in the Basque Country

[EN] The concept of sustainability when referring to food production rests, in general, on 3 main aspects: 1) respect for the environment; 2) economic and social benefits for all involved in production; and 3) production of sufficient quantity of quality food at an accessible price. In this contribution we focus on the main aspects of the traditional sheep's milk and cheese production (under the Denomination of Origin Idiazabal Cheese) in the Basque Country that contribute primarily to its sustainability. It is based on the local latxa or carranzana breeds of sheep, adapted to the mountainous terrain. The sheepherder takes advantage of local resources to reduce management costs by combining indoor dry forage and concentrates with outdoor grazing throughout lactation, according to local pasture availability, and thus avoiding having to buy large amounts of feed. This system facilitates recycling of manure, fertilising pastures and forest at the same time. Use of local breeds helps maintain biodiversity of sheep breeds. Cheese is produced industrially (44.5% of the total cheese produced in 2008) from milk of many flocks, or artisanally (38.3%) by the sheepherders with the milk from their own flocks. Transforming their own milk into cheese is advantageous for the following reasons: 1) higher economic returns as compared to selling the milk to cheese factories because cheese price directly sold to consumers is more competitive than industrial cheese sold in supermarkets; 2) increases the value of women's work (over 80% of the cheese makers are women) in the community and their self-esteem; 3) it creates rural jobs and contributes to rural development; 4) we have demonstrated both with experimental and commercial flocks that part-time grazing allows the sheepherder to obtain high yields of milk, and cheese, of high nutritional and functional quality. Currently a less sustainable, intensive sheep's milk production with foreign, imported breeds kept indoors constantly is gaining favour among milk producers because of its perceived higher economic profitability.

Lanbide heziketako irakasleen prestakuntza konpetentziak garatzeko metodologietan: Ikaskuntza Agertoki Berriak esperientziaren azterketa

[EU]XX. mendearen azken bi hamarkadetatik hona jendartean gertatu diren aldaketek, Lanbide Heziketaren (lan merkatura bideratzeko langileen prestakuntza oinarri duen heziketaren epe gisara ulertuta) planteamendua birpentsatu beharra ekarri dute. Dinamikoa eta aldakorra den jendarte honetan, Lanbide Heziketari bere hezkuntza jardueraren gaineko gogoeta egin beharra suertatu zaio, eta baita zer eta nola irakatsi lanbidea garatzea helburu duten ikasleei bezalako galderei erantzuna eman ere. Ingurumari honetan konpetentzia kontzeptua eta haren inguruko esperientziak eta metodoak garatu dira hala nazioartean nola Euskal Herrian. Master Bukaerako lan honetan Lanbide Heziketan aurrera eraman den irakasleen etengabeko prestakuntza programa baten azterketa egin dugu. Horretarako, berrikuntza eta kalitatea sustatzeko zeregina duen Tknika zentroak zuzendu eta gidatutako Ikaskuntza Agertoki Berriak prestakuntza programan parte hartu duen Tolosaldeko Lanbide Institutua aukeratu dugu, kasu azterketaren ikuspegia erabiliz. Azken xedea, laburki, irakasleei konpetentzietan oinarritutako ikaskuntza aukera didaktikoak eskaini eta haiei buruzko gogoeta egitea da, gero praktikara eraman ditzaten. Gure ikerlanaren helburua, berriz, programa horren asmoak praktikan nola ebazten eta gauzatzen diren ikustea da, prozesuan engaiatuta dauden pertsonen bizipenetatik abiatuta. Hurbilketa kualitatibo eta interpretatibo honetatik lau irakasle elkarrizketatu ditugu eta haien igurikapen, kezka eta bestelakoak jasotzen saiatu gara. Ondorio nagusienak, honakoak: (i) konpetentzien bidezko irakaskuntza-ikaskuntzaren potentziala oso nabarmena dela ikusten dutela elkarrizketatuek, (ii) gogo eta motibazio handia dutela, (iii), ikastetxean, euren egunerokoan, zailtasun eta oztopo andana topatzen dutela, (iv) zailtasunak kasu batzuetan metodologia berari dagozkion arren beste askotan ikasleak eurek ez dutela aldaketarako borondate handirik atzematen da.

Citizenship, immigration and the Basque State

Immigration is directly related to citizenship, the nation and the state, revealing as it does the constructed nature of those categories. Here the impact of immigration on Euskal Herria is examined from this perspective, looking first at the processes of migration to it which have produced the make-up of present-day Basque society to a large extent. This is followed by a consideration of the way migratory movements have been viewed by the movement for the development of Euskal Herria into a state, the Basque nationalist movement, since these attitudes have played a fundamental role in defining Basque citizenship. After some observations about multiculturalism, the chapter concludes with a look at how the creation of a Basque state might contribute to this and the issues that will be raised.