Of Men and Meadows: Strategies of Alpine Land Use

Abstract

Mountain villages in southern Switzerland traditionally met their subsistence needs through mixed farming and herding within the environmental constraints imposed by altitude, topography, exposure to sun, and water availability. Community boundaries were clearly defined and historically stable. Exploitative technology varied little through time. This paper examines the strategies by which individuals and groups in one community adapted to circumscribed resources through processes of expansion, intensification, and regulation. Rights in land and water were increased through cooperation and the earnings from outside employment. Agriculture was rendered more productive by irrigation and manuring. Population growth was contained by restricting village citizenship, delaying marriage until a viable economic unit could be formed, and out-migration.