Final answer:
Mobile pastoralists primarily derive their calories from animal products, but often supplement their diet with plant foods through cultivation or trade. The Bedouin, a group of pastoralists, are one example who have historically relied on herding but now also engage in crop cultivation and wage labor to meet their dietary needs amid environmental and economic pressures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mobile pastoralists predominantly obtain most of their calories from animal products such as meat and milk. However, contemporary pastoralists find it necessary to supplement their diet with vitamins and carbohydrates in cultivated plant foods. They manage to do this through small farming and trade with agricultural societies. Additionally, they sometimes gather wild plants and hunt small game.
The Bedouin people, for instance, traditionally relied on camels, sheep, goats, and cattle for sustenance. In some regions, the Bedouin have shifted from herding to cultivation of crops and wage labor due to the rising costs of animal feed and the replacement of camels with vehicles for transportation. Moreover, the traditional nomadic lifestyle requires regular movement to fresh pastures to maintain large herds on marginal lands, making ownership of private property beyond herd animals less practical.
In response to challenges such as climate change, pastoralists adapt by diversifying their income and food sources. They face environmental pressures like erratic and reduced rainfall, which affect the health and productivity of their herds. As a result, pastoralists often integrate other activities such as cultivating crops or participating in local labor markets to ensure a sustained source of calories in their diet.