LocationsAcross Montenegro’s rural landscapes, farmers fight to keep the buša alive
August 24, 2026
The buša are one of the oldest and most resilient native cattle breeds in the Balkans, but they are in danger of being replaced by new, more commercial breeds.
High in the mountains of northern Montenegro, herds move slowly across steep, rugged landscapes.
Among them is the buša — one of the oldest and most resilient native cattle breeds in the Balkans, uniquely adapted to this harsh, rocky terrain. Yet across the country, it is increasingly being replaced by more modern, commercially-productive cattle breeds, putting this long-adapted native variety at risk of disappearing.
For the families who still raise them, however, the buša is not just livestock. It is inheritance, survival and a way of life shaped by generations.
Rados is the third generation of farmers in his family whose life as been shaped by the buša.
“Our story with the buša began with our grandparents,” says Rados, son of farmer Slavko from Plav, whose herd has grown from just a few animals to dozens over the years. “We simply continued what they began.”
In these highlands, life revolves around the rhythm of the land. Summers are short and intense, while long, harsh winters test both people and animals.
But weather patterns have become increasingly unpredictable. Winters are harder to plan for, pasture growth is less reliable and grazing areas are increasingly overgrown.
Farmers say the buša’s resilience is becoming even more important.
“We don’t have anywhere to take our cattle to graze,” says Slavko, describing how changing conditions are making grazing increasingly difficult. Maintaining even the basics — pasture, hay, shelter — requires constant effort. Unlike more commercially productive breeds, the buša is highly adapted to Montenegro’s mountainous terrain, requiring less intensive feeding and making use of sparse natural pasture, thus better suited for these shifting conditions.
Rado's father Slavko
Rado's mother Slobodanka
“We started young,” says Slobodanka, Slavko’s wife. “We continued working with the buša we inherited from his parents. We built a family, raised four children and put them through school. Everything we have, we built with them. Without the buša, we simply couldn’t have survived.”
Most families here rely on a combination of livestock farming, dairy production, seasonal agricultural work and small-scale sales to support their households. Some sell calves, milk, cheese and homemade products at local markets, while others depend on subsidies and seasonal income to endure the long winters.
At the same time, farmers say rising costs of hay, feed and livestock care, combined with unstable access to markets, make small-scale farming increasingly difficult to sustain in remote mountain areas.
Despite the uncertainty and hard physical work, daily life on these farms still revolves around strong family traditions, hospitality and food prepared from what families produce themselves.
A disappearing native breed shaped by generations and mountain landscapes
Traditional livestock farming in mountain areas is increasingly under pressure from economic change, climate variability and outmigration. Yet in places like Plav and Andrijevica, some families still choose to stay — continuing traditions closely tied to the land.
For decades, shifts in agricultural practices and the decline of rural communities have reshaped livestock farming across Montenegro, gradually reducing the space for traditional breeds that are adapted to local conditions.
While commercial breeds may produce higher yields of milk or meat under controlled conditions, farmers explain that they are often more demanding to maintain in remote mountain areas, where the economics of mountain farming are fundamentally different.
Buša cattle are extremely resilient, capable of surviving on natural grazing with minimal supplementary feeding. Even in winter, when pasture is scarce, they can find and utilize available vegetation, while other breeds require continuous purchased feed.
“The buša is highly adapted to this environment,” says Uglješa, a farmer from Plav. “It makes full use of mountain terrain — I don’t think any other breed can use this land so efficiently.”
“It also makes sense economically,” says Uglješa. “A cow can give around 10 litres of milk a day at peak lactation, while consuming less than 80 bales of hay over the entire winter. When you calculate everything, the buša makes [economic] sense.” Because of its low maintenance requirements and reliance on natural pasture, farmers say the breed is better suited to extensive systems where inputs are limited and seasonal survival is key.
Uglješa, a farmer from Plav, says that losing the buša would mean a significant loss for local farming communities.
He says that losing the buša would mean a significant loss for local farming communities — not only economically, but culturally — as traditional dairy products closely tied to the breed could gradually disappear. “We would lose authentic Montenegrin cheeses — mountain cheese, Pljevlja cheese — which originally come from buša milk,” he explains.
Turning biodiversity conservation into practical support for rural livelihoods
Recognizing the essential role of rural communities in biodiversity conservation, a GEF project partnered with the Eko Fund to launch a public call supporting biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices.
Through a €450,000 grant scheme, the programme supported the conservation of endangered domestic breeds, biodiversity-friendly land management and the preservation of traditional landscape features such as dry stone walls and hedgerows.
This support is particularly important at a time when the buša is being gradually displaced by higher-yield commercial breeds and rural outmigration leaves fewer households able to maintain the breed.
The response from rural communities exceeded expectations. Out of nine applications submitted, six were approved, supporting 96 farmers across Montenegro — including livestock breeders working to preserve the buša breed.
Funding helped cover costs of animal feed and supplementary nutrition, improve the conditions in which animals are kept and cared for, and purchase additional livestock to strengthen and expand existing herds. Beyond these immediate benefits, the initiative also recognized the important role that farmers play in preserving biodiversity, traditional knowledge and rural landscapes. Supporting rural livelihoods is not only important economically for the families that survive on this type of work, but for the relationship they have with the land – maintaining grasslands and low-input agricultural practices suited to difficult conditions contribute to long-term resilience in increasingly climate-affected regions.
At the same time, it laid the groundwork for cooperation between national institutions to integrate biodiversity-friendly agriculture into future rural development policies.
Preserving a living heritage for the future
“If we lose the buša,” says Dmitar, a young farmer from Andrijevica, “we lose quality — of food, of life, of health.”
Whether this way of life has a future will depend on a combination of economic viability in changing conditions, continued institutional support and whether traditional systems like buša-based farming are recognized not only as cultural heritage, but also as a practical form of low-input, climate-adapted agriculture in mountain regions.
This initiative is part of a project funded by the Global Environment Facility and implemented by the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Region Development, with support and oversight from UNDP Montenegro.
Uglješa's wife and child share space with the herd.
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