Madagascar's Mahafale cattle raisers have incorporated the prickly pear cactus into their pastoral economy, which depends on assisting their cattle through the dry season, when grass and water are scarce. Rather than relying on nomadism in the pursuit of water and pasture for their livestock, they have turned to cactus to keep stock alive. This has influenced the cattle raisers' way of life, particularly in terms of diet and mobility. Women harvest cactus for their families to eat. Male herders work cactus as a vegetable crop for cattle. For these benefits, pastoralists sow, prune, and shape prickly pear into living fences around their corrals. In doing so, these herders have become cactus cultivators, which has reduced their mobility.