Plant Biology Commons^™

Analysis Of Livelihood Structure Of Pastoralists In Banni Grassland In Kachchh District Of Gujarat In India, B. L. Manjunatha, M. Shamasudheen, R. K. Bhatt, Devi Dayal, Pratibha Tewari

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Banni grassland in Kachchh district of Gujarat in India is situated at 69⁰24’ E longitude to 23⁰42’ N latitude axis and spread in about 3847 sq km area. Banni region is a vast salt affected plain and experiences arid climate with average rainfall of 317mm received by southwest monsoon spread between June to September with high coefficient of Variation of 65%. Banni grassland is home to migratory pastoralists, generally called maldharies, for more than 500 years. Banni area comprises of 48 hamlets/villages organized into 19 Panchayats with a population of approximately 40,000 people. Maldharies are landless …

Vegetation Dynamics In Relation To Land Use Within The High Altitude Alpine Grasslands Of Lesotho, Southern Africa, Nico Smit, G. Janse Van Rensburg

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Kingdom of Lesotho is characterized by its unique geographical feature of being dominated by rugged mountainous terrain. It is also the only true alpine region in southern Africa that supports high plant species diversity. Large areas suffer from overgrazing and erosion, as well as over exploitation of its natural resources. The livestock industry in Lesotho has long been a vital component of the economic and social structure of the country and the alpine region is considered as an important grazing resource by local Basotho herdsmen. Consequently, a study was conducted with the two objectives: to determine the phytomass, grazing …

Ensuring On-Farm Production And Utilization Of Fodder Planting Materials: A Case Of Hybrid Napier In Rural Uttar Pradesh, Shantanu Kumar Dubey, Udham Singh Gautam, Anand Kumar Singh, Atar Singh, Ajit Srivastava

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Fodder and livestock rearing is sine-qui-non to each other. Feeding assumes highest share (60-70%) of total cost involved in livestock production. Making the green fodder available round the year to the cattle keepers is a great challenge. The country faces the current deficit of green and dried fodder to the extent of 40 percent. The current level of milk production in India to the extent of 128 mt which is expected to be 160 mt by 2050 demands 494 mt dried fodder, 825 mt green fodder and 54 mt of concentrate feed. Probably, it is beyond the capacity of any …

Mountain Pasture Management By Goat Farmers: Case Of Kabylia Region, Mouhous, Kadi, Djellal, Berchiche

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In mountainous areas of Algeria, like the countries of North Africa and the Sahel, small ruminants contribute substantially to the food and economic security of mountain households (Bengoumi and Ameziane El Hassani, 2013). Changes in the farming environment affected the small ruminant production systems. These changes induced adaptations related to conducting of breeding and production orientation (Dubeuf and Boyazoglu, 2009). In Tizi Ouzou in Kabylia region, dairy goat farming operates in an environment appropriate because of its relief and vegetation (presence of vegetation, forests,). The extensive farming system is the one used in the study area. The herds are of …

Field Bund & Border As Alternative Land Use For Forage Production: A Case Of Marginal Farmer In Bundelkhand Region Of India, Raghunandan Prasad Dwivedi, Inder Dev, Ramesh Singh, K. B. Sridhar, R. K. Tewari, R. H. Rizvi, S. K. Dhyani, Anand Kumar Singh, Pinky Singh, Ruchi Srivastava

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In India, if marginal farmers are approached for production of forage grasses in their agricultural lands, the response of the farmers would be straight forward „NO‟ to the forage crops on agricultural lands. The reason is that food grains (cereals & pulses), vegetables, oilseeds, fruits, etc. are grown on agricultural land and get the first preference for family members, while the forage grasses are least preferred, as crops residues are being fed to livestock. More than 60% of the farm produce come from the small farms only. The productivity of the marginal and small farmers is the solution for growing …

Rejuvenation Of Wild Ber (Zizyphus Species) Through Budding At Farmer’S Field, Ravi Pratap Singh, Satendra Kumar, Rajiv K. Agrawal, Sunil Kumar, M. M. Das, J. B. Singh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Ber is mainly cultivated for its fresh fruits, which are rich in vitamins C, A and B complex. Due to its nutritional qualities it is called poor man’s apple (Gajbhiya et al., 2003). A large number of wild ber shrubs (Zizyphus mauritiana, Z. rotundifolia and Z. nummularia) were seen growing on the neglected lands, uncultivated lands, roadsides and farm boundaries in Kadesara Kala Village in Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh (India). Production potential of this species is very low because of poor upkeep and inferior genetic makeup. But they have extensive root system which can withstand …

Does Producing Forages Improve Livelihoods In Dry Areas? The Case Of Afghanistan (On-Going Research), Roberto Tellaria, Serkan Ates, Srinivas Tavva, Hyatullah Esmati

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Agriculture is the main livelihood and a major contributor to the Afghan economy. Livestock production contributes with almost 50% of agricultural GDP in Afghanistan where out of 75% Afghans who live in rural areas, 85% keep some livestock (AusAID and ACIAR, 2011). In particular, small ruminants (sheep and goats) provide small holder rural Afghan families with livelihoods, food and capital. However, insufficient feed is a key constraint that limits productivity, income growth and sustainability in the crop-livestock farming (GIRoA, 2009). The purpose of this research was to assess and identify which forage production technologies offers high productivity and resilience to …

Participatory Evaluation Of Herbage Composition, Biomass Yield, And Management Practices Of Natural Grazing Lands In Sidama Highlands Of Southern Ethiopia, Yoseph Mekasha, Birhanu Biazen, Azage Tegegne, Tesfaye Shewage

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Natural grazing land is the dominant source of feed for ruminant livestock in Ethiopia (Alemayehu, 2003; Zewdie and Yoseph, 2014). However, the production capacity and quality of natural grazing lands has been deteriorating over time and could not support optimum livestock production. Overgrazing the natural grazing lands due to poor grazing land management is among the major contributing factors (Alemayehu, 2003). Although previous studies focused on the evaluation of native grass lands it was either limited to arid and semi-arid agro-ecology or undertaken under different settings (Ayana, 2010; Diriba et al., 2012). Moreover, it did not involve the community …

Impact Of Development Projects On Grazing Resources Of Odisha, Binayak Dash, Bijoy Kumar Sahoo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Odisha, a state of modern India lies in the sub-tropical belt in eastern part of the country. It is the 10th largest state of India in terms of geographical area (15.57 million hectares). Out of the total geographical area, 37.33% constitute forest land and 39.69% cultivated land. These 6.180 million hectares of cultivated land is the source of food of almost 41.9 million human beings (Census, 2011) and 20.72 million livestock (Livestock Census 2012) of the state. Thus there is scarcity of land in the state. Majority of the farmers in the state are marginal and small (86.16%) owning less …

Improvement Of Grazing Lands For Better Livestock Production--A Case Study From Chitradurga District In India, K. Girdhar, A. V. Elangovan, H. S. Shivaramu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Chitradurga is a highly drought prone district in the central dry zone of Karnataka, India, with a normal rainfall of 530 mm per annum. Over 85 per cent of cultivable area is rainfed and the livestock plays a vital role in rural income generation in this district. Improper management and overgrazing have resulted in most of the grazing resources declining to a poor, degraded condition. Regeneration of pasture land was vital in the villages due to three reasons - a) people's livelihood dependency on livestock was considerable b) small ruminants played a vital role for landless farmers and c) lack …

Effect Of Fodder Demonstrations In Rainfed Multi-Location Conditions Of Uttar Pradesh And Uttarakhand, Atar Singh, U. S. Gautam, S. K. Dubey, A. K. Srivastav, M. P. Singh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Presently green fodder availability is 64.66 M tons and dry fodder (64.23 M tons.) in Uttar Pradesh, India., the green fodder deficit is 28.3% and dry fodder surplus by 14.1% respectively. Whereas, in Uttrakhand. Green fodder availability is 4.07 M tons and dry fodder 2.83 M tons, green fodder deficit is 48.1% and dry fodder 42.1%. There are many limitations affecting the forage production such as small holding of farmers and preferential need of food grains crops, limited availability of quality seed of improved varieties of fodder crops, low priority for investment in fodder production by the farmers. There is …

Mongolian Pastoralism–Nomadism And Marketing, Ralph Van Gelder, Nigel Brown, Dorlig Shombodon

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Mongolian pastoralism is a treasured “art” and tradition, honoured for its resourcefulness and maintained by the national social and political environment, but in the modern world it is an anachronism. Modern market requirements, enforced by domestic and international consumers, are rendering current Mongolian pastoralism unsustainable. Traditional nomadic herding is a subsistence activity. The products of modern herders are traded in domestic and international markets, hence modern nomadic herding is a profit making activity, in which product specification to satisfy consumers has to be the driver for grazing management and pasture utilisation considerations.

Cultural Bastions, Farm Optimisation And Tribal Agriculture In Aotearoa (New Zealand), Tanira Kingi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper outlines the influence of cultural factors (including tradition knowledge systems) on tribal agricultural organisations in Aotearoa-New Zealand (NZ); and then presents a conceptual framework that integrates several existing models and tools designed specifically for Māori farmer collectives. Traditional knowledge systems have a pervasive influence on NZs Māori agribusiness sector. However, they often go unrecognised; concealed beneath a land tenure system and legislative framework that is restrictive, cumbersome and has been responsible for widespread land loss since its introduction almost 150 years ago. In spite of these constraints, Māori agriculture in NZ is vibrant, diverse and has several unique …

Application Of Pastoralists' Knowledge To Natural Resource Management In Spain, Elisa Oteros-Rozas, María Fernández-Giménez, Ricardo Ontillera-Sánchez, José A. González, Federico Fillat-Estaque

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Extensive livestock rearing has been acknowledged as an important tool for sustainable management of social-ecological systems and biodiversity conservation. In the Mediterranean Basin this relationship has been highlighted in mountainous and rural areas, where the co-evolved assemblages and dynamics of plant communities and grazing practices and patterns are mutually reinforcing. Among extensive livestock rearing systems, mobile pastoralism is a typical adaptation in semi-arid areas and mountainous regions where pasture availability is especially variable in time and space. In Spain, mobile pastoralism dates back to Neolithic and has survived until our days in different ways. An outstanding example of mobility is …

Barriers And Opportunities For The Use Of Forage Tree Legumes In Smallholder Cattle Fattening Systems In Eastern Indonesia, Debora Kana Hau, Tanda Panjaitan, Jacob Nulik, H. Dahlanuddin, Elske Van De Fliert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage tree legumes (FTL) have existed in the Eastern Indonesian landscape since colonial traders introduced several species in the late 1800s. A specific effort was made to establish leucaena (Leucaena leucoephala) and sesbania (Sesbania grandiflora) for use as forage for cattle fattening at Amarasi in East Nusa Tenggara Province and Central Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, in the 1970s (Yuksel et al. 1999; Dahlanuddin et al. 2005). Its spread within these provinces as potential forage to intensify cattle fattening systems, however, has been slow if not stagnant. In preparation for intensified efforts to encourage …

A Guide To Evaluate And Diagnose Range Management Programs In Extensive Cattle Ranches, Ricardo Vásquez, Silverio G. Pérez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Commonly, range managers and ranchers apply range management principles and practices without a guide, conventional protocol, or a reference frame. This happens because knowledge in education and even in extension or consultant programs is obtained over time in a diversity of ways and, in turn, transmitted or applied in a diversity of methods, according to the experience, academic degree, or organization sense of the rancher himself, or his technician. Existing range management knowledge should be organized and applied in a systematic and conventional way. Medical science provides a good example of systematic management. Patients are “inventoried”, evaluated, diagnosed and treated …

Allocating Rangelands To The Optimum Land Use By Applying A Decision Support System, Seyed Alireza Mousavi, Hossein Arzani, Mehdi Farahpour

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangelands in Iran are faced with a considerable level of degradation and human interventions due to pressures for increased food production and the need to generate more benefits for an increasing population. A first step in solving this problem is to develop methodology to efficiently analyse the current situation and effectively reallocate rangelands into optimum land uses. To achieve an agreed solution for land allocation, an interactive approach is required to recognize and comprehensively assess different alternatives.

This paper suggests an introductory framework for developing a decision support system for allocation of rangeland areas into the most optimum use.

Using Expert Knowledge To Develop Management Actions For Tasmanian Lowland Native Grasslands Under Climate Change, Kerry L. Bridle, Louise Gilfedder, Nicholas Macgregor

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Climate change projections for Tasmania suggest that the climate in 2070 will be warmer than present, with increasingly variable seasonal rainfall (Grose et al. 2010). Results from climate change modelling suggest that grassland communities may not exist over their current range in the future (Prober et al. 2012). Lowland temperate natural grasslands have been greatly reduced in areal extent since European settlement in the early 1800s. Two ‘Lowland temperate native grassland’ communities are listed as critically endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999): Themeda triandra grasslands and Poa labillardieri grasslands. Careful landscape planning for current …

Ewe Body Condition: Does Farmer Practice Meet Research Guidelines?, Marie J. Casey, John S. Scandrett, David R. Stevens

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A group of sheep farmers in the Southland region of New Zealand were surveyed in the winter of 2011 to determine their current winter management practices and ewe performance. This followed a 3 year Sustainable Farming Fund project to investigate if there was a relationship between maintaining an even ewe body condition score (BCS) during pregnancy and the incidence of vaginal prolapse (bearings). The program included a series of workshops to help farmers improve their ewe winter management and it became apparent that the actual winter feeding practice and ewe performance was relatively unknown.

The research was done to document …

A Plant-Physiology Approach To A Fire-Y Problem, Helen G. Daily, Shaun Lisson, Kerry L. Bridle, Peter A. Lane, Stuart Anderson, Ross Corkrey

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

As vegetation dies, it dries and becomes more flammable. Fire agencies require accurate and timely assessments of curing (the percentage of dead material in the sward) to model grass fire behaviour and calculate fire danger ratings (Cheney and Sullivan 2008). Visual observation is commonplace and the more objective use of the Levy Rod is recommended, although both have drawbacks (Anderson et al. 2011). There is great potential for pasture growth models to provide curing estimates to assist with the management of wild grass fires (Gill et al. 2010). This PhD project focused on plant physiological characters to populate …

Identifying Opportunities For Improved Adoption Of New Grazing Innovations, Geoff Kuehne, Rick Llewellyn, Pannell Pannell, Perry Dolling, Roger Wilkinson, Mike Ewing

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Those aiming for high levels of adoption of grazing-related innovation are often frustrated at low and slow uptake by farmers. This paper describes a new tool, ADOPT (Adoption and Diffusion Outcome Prediction Tool), that can be used to evaluate the potential adoptability of grazing innovations (Kuehne et al. 2012). ADOPT aims to: (1) predict an innovation’s likely peak level of adoption and likely time for reaching that peak; (2) encourage users to consider factors affecting adoption during project design; and (3) engage R, D & E managers and practitioners by making adoptability knowledge and considerations more transparent and understandable.

Using E-Learning To Aid Technical Uptake Of Goat-Based Technologies By Small Livestock Producers In The Philippines, Anna Marie P. Alo, Jose Rey Y. Alo, Francisco G. Gabunada Jr., Emilio M. Cruz

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The improvement of goat raising in the Philippines by achieving a stable supply of good quality breeders and highly uniform slaughter goats by 2020 is the aim of an Industry Strategic Plan. While a number of ways of promoting science-based technology have been offered to farmers, countless small to medium-scale farmers are almost impossible to reach. Online FLS or e-learning courses on goats have been developed where learners can take the courses from any place, at their own pace, and in their own convenient time. Internet cafes are available throughout the Philippines, where goat raisers are able to access the …

Assisting Smallholder Farmers In Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems To Understand The Potential Effects Of Technologies And Climate Change Through Participatory Modelling, P. Masikati, Andre Van Rooyen, Sabine Homann-Keetui

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Smallholder farming systems in the semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe are characterized by low production. This low production is not solely due to lack of technologies but is also due to a lack of integrating a diversity of viewpoints belonging to local, expert and specialized stakeholders during technology development. Participatory approaches combined with computer-based modelling are increasingly being recognized as valuable approaches to jointly develop sustainable agricultural pathways. The application of this integrated and iterative process in developing and evaluating the impact of interventions aimed at improving food and feed production is discussed. The process allows farmers to determine the impact …

Grassland Management–The Prograze™ Approach, R. P. Graham, C. M. Langford, G. P. Meaker

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Three courses PROGRAZE™, PROGRAZE™ Plus and STOCKPLAN® have been developed to provide a complete package to assist farmers manage their variable grassland grazing systems. As each package is separate the farmer can use the relevant tool to help them work through major issues they are dealing with at any point in time. All courses are based on the same principle, they do not give answers but rather provide training in skills development, provide key background knowledge and a framework to assist farmers plan and if needed to work through their problems to reach a solution they are comfortable with.

The Role Modelling And Farming Systems Research Can Play In Redesigning Grazing Systems For Improved Productivity And Environmental Sustainability, Angela Avery, Kate Sargeant, Michael A. Friend, Ralph Behrendt, Paul Sanford, Craig Beverly, Cameron Allen, David L. Michalk

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Achieving production and natural resource outcomes from farming systems is critical with growing demand for livestock products, increasing pressure on land and water resources and the desire of farmers to improve profit and standard of living. In many countries this brings to the fore a number of policy dilemmas and conflicts in terms of pastoral household livelihood, regional economic growth and development, as well as natural resource management. By using two case studies; (1) Temperate Grasslands in Southern Australia (EverGraze project); and (2) Western Grasslands in North West China (ACIAR project), this paper considers how farming systems can be redesigned …

Range Management Program: “Los Ángeles” Experimental Cattle Ranch In Northern México, Ricardo Vásquez, Silverio G. Pérez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The arid and semi-arid grasslands of both the ejidos (farming communities) and extensive (private) cattle ranches in northern México face serious degradation problems. This is visibly evident in the extent of soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and invasion of undesirable species (Ceballo et al. 2009). Severe impact of drought and over-grazing are important causes for the declining productivity now common place throughout these north Mexican grasslands. Two important contributing factors to this grassland degradation are: (1) the lack of continuous and well integrated education programs on the range and ranch management; and (2) a scarcity of government and private …

Development Of A Forage Evaluation System For Perennial Ryegrass Cultivar And Endophyte Combinations In New Zealand Dairy Systems, Jeremy R. Bryant, David F. Chapman, Elizabeth Leonard, William H. Mcmillan, Graham A. Kerr, Glenn Judson, Tim Cookson, Grant R. Edwards

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

An economic index for perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) cultivars is a relatively new concept, although recently introduced in Ireland (McEvoy et al. 2011). By contrast, in dairy cattle breeding, the concept of an economic index rating animals and economic values underlying that index is well entrenched (Philipson et al. 1994; Veerkamp, 1998). Historically, forage evaluation data for individual cultivars were either displayed using absolute numbers for seasonal dry matter production within a season or across all seasons with a notation to indicate statistical differences, or percentage values where a reference cultivar is 100. The adoption of …

From Research To Practice Change–Achieving Adoption Through Regionally Packaged Technology And Farm Systems, Kate Sargeant, Scott Glyde

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The rate and extent of adoption of grazing systems technology is limited by the relevance of recommendations and the complexity of integrating new practices into farming systems. This paper describes how, through development of regional information packages, a national project is enhancing adoption of the outputs from research investment. Every farm has unique goals, soils, landscape, enterprise setup and existing practices. When making investment decisions, farmers consider the cost and potential impact of each option compared to other competing options, the fit into their existing management philosophy and other changes necessary to realise the potential benefit. Overlaying this, farmers consider …

Farmer-To-Farmer Mentoring–Delivering Real Change In Practice On Uk Livestock Farms, Sara J. Gregson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A pilot project was set up whereby mid-performing livestock producers could access knowledge from other farmers in order to produce more milk and meat from grass. In the United Kingdom grass utilisation on pasture that is grazed, is low - generally no better than 50%on dairy units, and even less on beef and sheep farms. The BGS Grazing Partners scheme was devised by the British Grassland Society (BGS) in 2009 by council member Sara Gregson, after completing a Nuffield Farming Scholarship. Eighteen experienced and successful grassland farmers were trained in mentoring skills. Farmer-to-farmer mentoring helps producers, who are too shy …

Demonstration Farms To Improve Grassland And Household Incomes In Western China, Jing Wang, Mengli Zhao, David R. Kemp, Gemma Turnbull

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Western China is the less developed area of China, of which about 3.31×10⁹ ha is grassland. The livelihoods 40 million people, the majority ethnic minorities, are supported by this grassland. To achieve balanced growth while reducing economic disparities is one of the major challenges that China faces to maintain both its current GDP growth rate and social stability. The development of demonstration farms is an efficient way to alleviate or ideally to solve this challenge. Recent studies conducted on the desert steppe in Inner Mongolia have shown, that under current conditions, stocking rates can be reduced to get both …