Plant Pathology Commons^™

Amritmahal: Need For Conserving The Living Pastoral Heritage Of Karnataka, Jahnavi G. Pai, Manohar Patel, Vinay K. Sreeniva

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Karnataka is home to the biodiversity-rich Western Ghats with its range of habitats spanning from scrub forest in the lower elevations to the wet evergreen forests in the higher elevations. In stark visual contrast, the Deccan Plateau is blanketed by arid plains dominated by scrub jungles and dry grasslands. These plains are a melting pot of rich biodiversity, culture and associated traditional knowledge. They have also been important centres for breeding livestock and have supported local livelihoods. In spite of this cultural and ecological importance, these arid plains, especially grasslands with sparse woody vegetation, are increasingly being termed as wastelands. …

The Significance Of Nomadic Pastoralism For Sustaining Soil Fertility In Northern Karnataka, India, Athani B., Gopikrishna, N. Kuruba

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pastoralist groups in India, including the Raika of Rajasthan, Pullikulum cattle breeders in Tamil Nadu, and groups such as the Dhangar, Kuruba and Kuruma of the Deccan Plateau realize a major proportion of their income from penning their herds and flocks on farmers’ fields. Focusing on shepherds from Northern Karnataka, this paper makes a first attempt at calculating the impact of penning on livelihoods, soil fertility and the national economy.

Golla--The Semi Nomadic Pastoralists And Small Animal Bioconservationists Of Odisha, India Produce Animal Proteins From Minimum To Maximum For Many, Balaram Sahu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Golla, the nomadic pastoralists of Odisha, is one of the ancient nomadic pastoralists of southeastern part of India. In the state of Odisha, Golla are found in districts of Ganjam, Gajapati and to some extent in Nayagrah district. In Ganjam and Gajapati, the Golla are mostly present in different villages, locally called as “Golla Gaon” means Golla village.

The Golla rears goats and sheep by practicing migration through natural grass and pasturelands. The people of Golla community are generally illiterate, hard working, enduring, brave and efficient traditional healers of small ruminants. The practice of migration, not only …

Mitigating Policy Measures To Increase Fodder Availabilty In Natural Calamities Situations, Om Singh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Though the availability of feed and fodder has improved in the last decade, still there exists a substantial gap between demand and availability of fodder in the country, particularly during the lean periods and at the time of natural calamities including droughts and or flood situations. Availability of adequate quantity of feed and fodder for livestock is essential for improving livestock productivity. Under the Rasthriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), the States have sufficient funds and autonomy to undertake development of feed and fodder besides other agricultural and allied activities. There is a need to disseminate the benefits of using high …

Policy Perspective For Grassland Based Integrated Farming System: Innovation & Challenges In Indian Context, Kamal Kumar Datta, Soumitra Chowdhury, Madhu Mohini

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Indian agriculture is increasingly getting influenced more and more by economic factors. This needs not be surprising because irrigation expansion, infrastructure development, penetration of rural markets, development and spread of short duration and drought resistant crop technologies have all contributed to minimizing the role of non-economic factors in crop choice for even small farmers. Both at micro and macro level, the picture of livestock sector is very much disintegrated where growth is mainly from fishery and meat production and not from milk production. The common perception that animal rearing is not as remunerative as poultry or fishery seems to be …

Factors Influencing Current And Future Prospects For Intensive Dairy Production In Rwanda, Mupenzi Mutimura, Cyprian Ebong, Idupulapati M. Rao, Ignatius V. Nsahlai

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Intensive mixed crop-dairy systems dominate smallholder agriculture in Rwanda. However, factors that influence the intensification and crop-dairy integration in Rwanda have not been examined. The objective of this study was to determine factors that are influencing the current and future prospects for intensification and mixed crop-dairy production systems in Rwanda.

Cultivating The Next Generation Of Pasture Scientists In Australia, Sarita Jane Bennett

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Current students coming through agricultural faculties in Australian universities have grown up in an era of low wool and meat prices, the introduction and acceptance of no-till farming as the norm and a general decrease in mixed farming landscapes in favour of continuous cropping. Since the collapse of the wool reserve price scheme in 1991, wool prices declined and income on wool producing farms followed suit. R & D during this period has also declined from 5-4% agricultural GDP in 1986 to only 3% in 2005 and has favoured research related to cropping rather than that related to pastures and …

Career Management For Early Career Scientists In Developing Countries--A South African Experience, Luthando Dziba, Xolisa Ngwadla, Ndeke Musee

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper discusses career development and options for growth for young scientists in developing countries. We also identify and address some of the common challenges early career scientists face, and apply key principles learned from years of research and experience in the South African context as a basis for our discussion. Early career scientists are more likely to succeed in their career if they understand from the start what they need to do in order to grow to the next level and ultimately to the pinnacle of their careers. Strategically, planning one’s individual career development is critical to success in …

Empowering The Next Generation Of Tropical Forage Researchers: A New E-Journal For The 21St Century, Rainer Schultze-Kraft, Lyle Winks, Changjun Bai, Robert J. Clements, Asamoah Larbi, Michael Peters, Cacilda Borges Do Valle

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grassland researchers in the 21^st Century need 21^st Century publication opportunities. A new, open-access online journal, Tropical Grasslands–Forrajes Tropicales, to continue the tradition of the former Tropical Grasslands (published by the Tropical Grassland Society of Australia Inc. during 1967-2010) and the former CIAT journal Pasturas Tropicales (1984-2006), is presented. It is published by CIAT in Cali, Colombia, and sponsored by CATAS, China, and ACIAR, Australia. Articles appear in English or Spanish with abstracts in both languages, and include research papers, short communications, review papers and farmer communications.

Realising The Potential Of Youth In The Development Of Sustainable Grasslands, J. C. Bidogeza, Ralph Von Kaufmann

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The declining interest of youth worldwide to remain in rural areas and pursue careers in agriculture and grasslands is a threat to all human welfare. Ways and means must be found to redress the decreasing interest of youths in grassland development. Ironically there is a lot of untapped potential for rewarding careers but the youths do not have the skills needed to exploit it. This cannot be corrected by providing occasional and piecemeal training opportunities. The perilous consequences of allowing the rangelands to degenerate are sufficiently serious to warrant a comprehensive approach to developing the wide range of skills needed …

Will Intergenerational Succession And Our Current Educational Systems Be Sufficient To Provide The Next Generation Of Farmers And Researchers?, Brian J. Revell

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper reviews the implications of the age structure in farming and an aging farm population on productivity and innovation. It discusses the factors determining opportunities for new entrants, including those on family farms, and also those affecting outflow and retirement. The implications of recent international trends in agricultural graduate and post-graduate numbers are considered. Finally, issues and recent initiatives needed to address the problems of attracting new blood and expertise to the industry are outlined.

Master Grazer: Improving Grazing Management In Kentucky, S. Ray Smith, Garry D. Lacefield, Lyndsay Jones, Jeff Lehmkuhler, Donna M. Amaral-Phillips, Kelly Kramer

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Master Grazer Educational Program is the result of funding provided by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board to educate producers on better utilization of grazing lands to improve livestock production and the profitability of the State. County agriculture and natural resource agents, extension specialists, industry contacts and producers work together to make this program a success. The Master Grazer Educational Program began in 2006 as evening lecture sessions taking place in local extension offices. In 2008, the program grew with the addition of a field session that showcased a farm with successful grazing practices, a farm with underdeveloped grazing practices, …

Creating An International Forage And Grasslands Curriculum, Brianna L. Randow, David B. Hannaway, Kimberly Japhet, Phil Shuler, Chunhua Yang, Zhihua Li, Peter J. Ballerstedt, Alan S. Cooper, Xianguo Wang

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands cover nearly 2/3 of the land masses of the world and make up 1/4 of the earth's surface. Although various regions of the world have different names for their grasslands, common management principles govern maintaining and improving these lands for the food production and environmental services they provide. There is much talk today about “finding the balance between environmental protection and economic development” but there is little evidence of knowledge about grassland ecosystems being translated into effectively implemented policies designed to restore degraded grasslands. In contrast, there are many examples of the tragic consequences of economic development rather than …

Crops, Rumps And Woolly Jumpers: An Innovative Extension Approach Enabling The Complexities Of Mixed Farming To Be Shared And Understood, Geoff R. Casburn, Helen M. Burns, Michelle Anderson, Toni M. Nugent, Patrick Sproule, Matthew Olsen, Richard C. Hayes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The sheep-wheat belt of southern Australia accounts for about 19% and 57% of total Australian beef and sheep production, respectively. Most farm businesses in this zone are family owned and contain a mix of livestock and cropping enterprises. While the focus of most research, development and extension for mixed farming systems focuses on single components of the system (lamb, wool, beef, pastures, crops), the systems are complex and dynamic and cannot be understood by analysing the components in isolation. The enterprise synergies are dependent on economic, environmental and social factors. The farmers themselves are best equipped to explain the system …

The North Wyke Farm Platform: A New Uk National Capability For Research Into Sustainability Of Agricultural Temperate Grassland Management, Phil J. Murray, Bruce A. Griffith, Robert J. Orr, Martin S. A. Blackwell, Jane M. B. Hawkins, S. Peukert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The North Wyke Farm Platform is a new UK National Capability that will enable studies that can be closely monitored and controlled under different land-use options at the farm-scale. As a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council-funded National Capability, the Farm Platform provides centralised scientific facilities including core data (field and water chemistry, water flow rates, greenhouse gas emissions from soils, livestock and agronomic data, and farm management records). Access to the Farm Platform for experimental work or to data will be available to other research users and collaborators. This shared approach will enhance the depth and breadth of information …

Farmers Teaching Farmers: What Motivates Volunteer Farm Trainers?, Evelyne Kiptot, Steven Franzel

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper assesses the motivation behind the decisions of smallholder farmers to volunteer as farmer trainers despite the fact that they are not paid for their services. Volunteer farmer trainers (VFTs) are trained in livestock feeds and feeding methods by extension officers. They in turn train other farmers within their community without pay but receive training and seeds for setting up demonstration plots. Data collection was through a combination of focus group discussions and individual interviews with 99 VFTs from seven East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) sites in central and Rift Valley regions of Kenya. Findings of the study showed …

Revitalising Communities To Sustain Grassland Research, Jacqueline Rowarth

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Participation in science subjects at school and University has decreased in developed countries as the curriculum has broadened and the proportion of students staying on at school and entering university has increased. Global shortfalls in STEM graduates (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) mean an increase in salaries, which in turn are decreasing the likelihood of students staying on at University for postgraduate study. This is unfortunate given the increasing challenges in sustainable food production – grassland research needs great people enjoying great careers in order to contribute to global sustainability. This paper addresses the complex issues which have been the …

Grasslands Are My Home: An Innovative Primary School Program Developed For Remote Chinese Villages, Limin Hua, Victor Squires, Chengzhang Zhao

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Environmental education is a useful tool for changing the mind-set of people and it has been developed over many years and in many countries. This paper reports the environmental education program funded by World Bank/GEF pastoral development project in northwest China. The involved writing training materials for students and teachers, teaching in classroom, practicing in filed, and interactions with parents. The purpose of the environmental education program was training a student to influence the whole family, educate a class and help manage a community. The result showed that the environmental education program had positive impact on student attitudes toward environmental …

Strengths And Weaknesses Of National Agricultural Research Systems: Attracting The Next Generation Of Grasslands Researchers, James E. Pratley, Casper W. Roxburgh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the 1960s and 1970s the world faced up to the poverty and hunger facing a significant proportion of the global population, which at the time was around 4 billion people. The efforts of Norman Borlaug and the Green Revolution resulted in food production increasing as the technologies and knowledge known at the time were directed to that task. The success of the Green Revolution was such that governments and the world communities turned attention to other issues and agricultural development slid down the list of priorities. The world population is now over 7 billion and projected to be over …

Traditional Practices For Sustainable Rangeland And Natural Resources Management: A Case Study Of The Barzok Region, Iran, Ali Hamidian, Mehdi Ghorbani

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Livestock husbandry ranks second in importance the agricultural economy of Iran and also underpins the livelihood of many nomadic and sedentary peoples (Farhadi 2001). At the same time many rural locations such as the Bazok district have wide appeal to tourists because of cultural and natural features. This means local Iranian villagers must manage the grassland resources in a sustainable way according to geographical and climatic conditions. In general, utilization systems developed by local villages endeavour to combine social, cultural, economic and technical factors in such a way as to provide an optimal output of agricultural and eco-services (Papeli and …