Abstract
<p>Degradation of pastures caused by anthropogenic and climatic factors leads to desertification, loss of soil fertility, reduces productivity of the pasture grass and it is a prerequisite for socio-economic problems. Pastures of Western Kazakhstan cover more than 70% of the lands under economic use and are the main fodder source for the farm animals. In the late years, degradation of pastures in Western Kazakhstan takes place due to intensive animal grazing. The aim of research is to study the impact of technology for grazing the farm animals on the pastures soil cover to prevent the processes of degradation and desertification, as well as the rational use of pasture ecosystems. Through these studies, experimental data were obtained on the current state of the pastures soil cover in Western Kazakhstan with different types of chestnut soils depending on the grazing technology. An excess intensive grazing of the farm animals has negative influence on physical and chemical factors of the chestnut soil types.</p>
Highlights
Global population growth, global climate change and its adverse effects on agriculture, depletion of natural resources having essential importance for the global agriculture development, food safety and new ethical requirements for producers, are all future challenges related to the sustainable management of natural resources and investment in food production and agriculture (Scollan et al 2002).The grasslands, which are a major part of the global ecosystem, occupy 37% of the Earth’s land area, contribute significantly to food security by providing most of the energy and proteins needed by ruminant animals to produce meat and dairy products
More dynamic changes in humus content have been detected on light chestnut soils of the pastures of the third semi-desert zone with arid climate with the use of intensive grazing technology
As the grazing has a significant impact on the number of ecosystem services, its reduction may lead to decrease in soil fertility and, the land degradation (Rounsevell et al.1999, Nasiyev and Bekkaliyev 2019)
Summary
Global population growth (the world’s population will be about 9.2 billion in 2050), global climate change and its adverse effects on agriculture, depletion of natural resources having essential importance for the global agriculture development, food safety and new ethical requirements for producers, are all future challenges related to the sustainable management of natural resources and investment in food production and agriculture (Scollan et al 2002).The grasslands, which are a major part of the global ecosystem, occupy 37% of the Earth’s land area, contribute significantly to food security by providing most of the energy and proteins needed by ruminant animals to produce meat and dairy products. The first ecological condition for the rational use of pastures is the compliance with the principle matching to their natural capacity and number of animals grazing on them. Long-term scientific studies conducted by the scientists from different countries in the second half of the 20th century show that without harming the subsequent productivity of pastures it is possible to withdraw from 25 to 75% of the above-ground vegetation mass in different natural zones. One of the important conditions for restoration and conservation of pasture biodiversity is grazing management and ecological optimization of the pasture load, which will increase the pasture productivity, environmental sustainability and economic efficiency (Costas et al 2015, Loris et al 2019)
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