The production strategy is very demanding on both people and the herd. With the onset of the dry season, while other pastoral groups sharing the same ecosystem move closer to water points, where water is more accessible but pasture is poor, the WoDaaBe move in the opposite direction, trying to keep their camps close to prime fodder. This results in longdistance mobility and a watering regime which, at the peak of the hot season, often involves journeys of 25–30 kilometres to reach the well, with the herd drinking every third day. It is, therefore, essential to the WoDaaBes production strategy that functional behavioural patterns are maintained within the herd. Consequently, their breeding system focuses on fostering social organization and interaction within the herd. It encourages sharing of animals’ feeding competence across the breeding network, and tries to guarantee the genetic and “cultural” continuity of successful cattle lineages within the network. These lineages have proved capable of prospering under the WoDaaBes herd management system, and over a long enough period to have included episodes of severe stress. The breeding strategy focuses on ensuring the reliability of the herd’s reproductive performance,more than on maximizing individual performance in specific traits.