The Pešter plateau (Peštersko polje) is in south-western Serbia, at an altitude of over 1,000 metres. With a surface area of 5,000 hectares (of which 3,400 hectares have been classified as a nature reserve since 2006), it is the largest plateau in Serbia and one of the highest in the Balkans. It is also the place in Serbia with the lowest winter temperatures, giving it the nickname of "Siberia of the Balkans" (the lowest temperature was -39.5°C in January 1985).
Pešter plateau houses a large number of cows and sheep that are perfectly adapted to its harsh climate (snow, wind, wide temperature range throughout the year). Simmental breed proudly represents the majority of the plateau's cattle, while the Sjenica sheep is the most popular sheep breed.
This small white-headed sheep, decorated with black glasses, two ears and a muzzle, is also very resistant to the weather elements. It is the only sheep able to live in these climatic conditions. When we arrived in Serbia, we met Miki, a member of the non-governmental organisation IDC*, who told us his story about the Sjenica sheep: "When I arrived in winter on the snowy plateau, I met a farmer and asked him where his sheep were. He replied with a wave : 'Right here'. I frowned and looked up the mountain to see the sheep, whose legs were no longer visible buried in the snow! Only their woolly backs and heads were out of the snow.
On this plateau in southwestern Serbia, we met Redjep and Sabin, who raise 160 Sjenica sheep and 20 Simmental cows on a small 30 hectares farm. The whole family works on the farm: Redjep, Sabin, her husband Šerif and their four children, the youngest is 10 years old, Jena. Every day, Jena takes his walking stick and looks after the herd of sheep in the pasture. The sheep and cows are milked by hand twice a day and the milk is then sold at the Tutin dairy. Selling milk to the dairy is a common practice in the region, where few farmers produce their own cheese. In Serbia, the sale of milk to the dairy is a boon for farmers, because it ensures that they are paid on time. However, selling livestock products to a distribution network is not a widespread practice in the country**. On the Pešter plateau, the purchase price per litre of milk is the lowest in the region, justified by a poor road network to access the farms.
The state owns the majority of the land in the reserve***. The farmers who live in the reserve use it as grazing land for their cows and sheep. In return, they are responsible for protecting the wildlife, especially birds. On the plateau, livestock farming is an integral part of a food chain that includes humans but also the local wildlife. Sheep and cows use grass and plants by providing cheese and meat for humans, but also feed the vultures and wolves of the region. In the contract signed between the fauna of the plateau and the farmer, the latter has accepted to leave a part of his food resources to the other links in the chain. Thus, when a farm animal die, the natural renderers are called upon. Farmers set up feeding areas for wolves and vultures away from their herds to keep the two parties on good terms.
When Redjep and Sabin are asked about the positive and negative points of their breeding, they look at each other for a long time before answering. This is a question that is not asked here. They acquired the farm from their parents, who themselves took over the business from their parents. It is an activity that is passed on from generation to generation and "that's how it is". Their livestock activity is an ancestral way of life to which there is no real alternative. Jena, their youngest son, is already experienced in sheep farming. He looks after the flock, helps with the milking... In short, at the age of ten, his future is already mapped out: he will continue the breeding of his parents, his grandparents and his great-grandparents and will pass on the farm to his children. Hopefully the price of milk will remain sufficient in the future to allow the whole family to live?
* IDC : Association of Citizens Initiative for Development and Cooperation. IDC is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the social and economic integration of disadvantaged and vulnerable social categories. The IDC association includes missions to help Serbian farmers, in particular small fruit and vegetable producers (structuring of the sector, help for negotiation/sale of products, punctual help during climatic hazards). For more information: https://idcserbia.org
** Serbian agricultural activity is divided into two main categories of structures. Large state farms and small family farms. The first ones have an organised distribution network and sell their agricultural products in supermarkets. Small family farms, on the other hand, generally sell their products at the farm gate, as they are not suited to a distribution network involving regulated practices and regular supply. In Serbia, retailing is associated with uncertainty about remuneration, as buyers often do not pay enough or on time.
*** In Serbia, 75% of agricultural land is owned by the state or by large private farms in the service of the state (Vojvodina = North/Northwest region of Serbia). While small family farms represent 75% of Serbia's agricultural holdings, they only own 25% of the country's agricultural land. After the Second World War, the introduction of collectivisation left families with a maximum of 10 hectares of land. Today, some families are recovering the lost hectares by inheritance or by buying it. But buying farmland is a long and difficult process, often inaccessible to small farmers, and few family farms benefit from it.