The profession of shepherd is one of the most important in our society in relation to animal husbandry, but also one of the most affected. How to learn to be a shepherd is something that the trends have been marked as in decline, reaching a point where we would have to ask ourselves, who is going to take care of the flocks, if we have no generational replacement?
There are few shepherds left in our country and the age range is quite high, so we are faced with the problem of succession. Due to the crisis and the high unemployment rate, there is a return of young people to rural areas, as well as an interest in learning to be a pastor.
Shepherd schools are becoming more and more known in this environment, which we can currently find in different communities such as Asturias, Andalusia, Castilla y León, Castilla La Mancha or Catalonia. The schools may be public or private, but they all have a common objective: to train new generations of shepherds so that shepherding does not become extinct.
The fact of the interest created in how to learn to be a shepherd is not only a primary objective of young people who return to the village looking for a job with which to have economic and family stability. Practicing herders also attend these schools to provide training and acquire knowledge themselves about new developments and changes in rural policy.
Young people interested in learning about the world of shepherding will receive both theoretical and practical training from active shepherds and qualified personnel. They will learn firsthand the latest developments in the field of herding, breeding and animal care.
Today, many advances have been made and the more rural methods of livestock maintenance are a thing of the past. Technology has been implemented on farms while respecting the profession and the life of the animals, but bringing new knowledge that favors the work of shepherds.
Shepherds 2.0 have new techniques for animal reproduction, such as melatonin implants or vaginal sponges. In addition, the technological systems allow them to consult the data of each animal, as well as their situation if any of them should go astray.
It is clear that technology and the rural world are not at odds, but have achieved a favorable synergy for the development of pastoralism. They attract new generations of shepherds who will keep our farms and fields stocked for a long time to come.
