Changes in Pastoral Strategies and Water Access Under the Sedentarization Policy in Inner Mongolia

Pastoralist sedentarization has accelerated globally since the late 20th century, driven by climate change, government policies, and economic transitions. In Inner Mongolia, China, this process advanced under 1950s socialist initiatives and the 1980s Grassland Household Contract Policy (GHCP), which allocated land use rights to individual households. This study examines the 1960–2020 transition from seasonal nomadism to settled pastoralism in a Gacha, emphasizing changes in grazing strategies and water access. Migration distances declined from about 55 km in the 1960s to 4 km in the 1980s, with sedentarization becoming permanent after the GHCP. Grazing practices shifted toward fixed facilities and supplementary feed, while water use moved to deep wells and storage tanks, increasing both costs and groundwater risks. These transformations modestly improved productivity but heightened social vulnerability.