Abstract
Kangayam grassland in the tropical region of south India has been sustainably managed for over one hundred and fifty years. In a region with meagre rainfall, growing grass is the farmers' main vocation. Between 1855 and 1881, the majority of government 'wastelands' were given on lease to farmers who organized the land into grazing paddocks and fenced with hedges of Balasmodendron berryi. Numerous wells were dug in the grazing lands to provide water for drinking to animals and to some extent for irrigation. Between July and February, the animals are exclusively grazed by rotating between paddocks. The grazing lands are cultivated every 4 to 5 years and sorghum is sown and made into hay for animal feeding between March and June. In several places, the Cenchrus dominated grassland is also sown with legumes like Phaseolus trilobus to improve the quality of forage. Security of land tenure coupled with technological interventions has sustained the productive capacity of the grassland for over a century. The grassland also has a stable human population and healthy female to male ratio. It offers a model for replication elsewhere under similar low rainfall conditions.
Highlights
The livelihoods of poor livestock keepers in India primarily depend on the productivity of edible biomass available from common property resources (CPRs) like village commons, the roadsides, along railway tracts, canals, bunds etc
Such a well-managed grassland production system has not been publicized beyond its immediate vicinity and, obscured from policy makers and field workers who remain on the lookout for a successful model of sustainable grazing land management
The study offers an insight into the historical development of the Kangayam grassland in a rain deficit region of south India
Summary
The livelihoods of poor livestock keepers in India primarily depend on the productivity of edible biomass available from common property resources (CPRs) like village commons, the roadsides, along railway tracts, canals, bunds etc. The collective actions of people in approximately 4,000 sq km of a rain-shadow area have ensured a secure livelihood for people where grass is the main crop and livestock rearing is an important income generating activity. Such a well-managed grassland production system has not been publicized beyond its immediate vicinity and, obscured from policy makers and field workers who remain on the lookout for a successful model of sustainable grazing land management. Improved commons provide a strong ecological foundation that can spur poor livestock-keepers to become more successful in the livestock sector
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