The Shepherds
School INLAND

About the School

The Shepherds School Inland (The Shepherds School) has spent over 20 years training young people who want to become shepherds, while also supporting experienced shepherds to pass on their knowledge and learn new, sustainable techniques. Today, the school is working to expand its capacity to host apprentices and create opportunities for young pastoral leaders from around the world to learn from one another and bring those skills back to their own communities. At its core, the school is built on the idea that knowledge flows in many directions. Experienced shepherds teach young people—often from urban backgrounds—who are interested in learning traditional practices. At the same time, new agroecological and scientific approaches are shared with working shepherds, helping them adapt and strengthen their livelihoods. This is a space for global exchange, where shepherds from different regions connect, share challenges, and build solidarity.

The Shepherds School is a project of the World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples (WAMIP), a social movement of grassroots organizations of nomadic peoples and communities sharing pastoralism with various forms of mobility as a livelihood strategy while conserving biological diversity and using natural resources in a sustainable way.

More than a training program, the Shepherds School is rethinking how education works.

Through their training programs, shepherds:

• Bring together traditional knowledge and modern techniques.
• Create a more inclusive and collaborative learning environment, with hands-on practice.
• Help to sustain pastoralist cultures while shaping for a more resilient future for rural communities.

Whyhunger supported the Shepherd School to construct new learning spaces, including a library, classrooms, dairy facilities, and communal gathering areas. These spaces allow students to spend more time immersed in the educational experience while creating spaces where elders, students, and community members can continue learning together.

To learn more about The Shepherds School, click here.