Unrestricted Grazing Research Articles

Determinants of participatory forest management practices in the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia

Forest resources are fundamental in supporting the livelihoods of the people and the sustainability of biodiversity. However, these resources are overexploited in order to meet the increasing demand for food, shelter, and energy. Participatory forest management is a tool used to support the sustainable utilization of forest resources. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the factors that determined the participatory forest management practices in the study area. The Alemsaga forest was chosen as a case study since it is in danger in its current state due to illegal cuttings and unrestricted grazing. The study employed a mixed research design where quantitative and qualitative approaches of data collection and analysis were implemented. Household heads from three rural kebeles were used as a target population, and the questionnaire survey was administered to randomly selected sample households. A binary logistic regression was employed to identify the major determinants of PFMP in the study area. The result shows that family size, education status, perception, forest income, and training have significant positive relations with household participation in forest management, whereas, demand for firewood and grazing, age, and change in office administration have significant negative relations with participation on forest management. Therefore, a key aspect in the sustainable use of natural resources is realizing the key determinant factors that influence forest management programs. This work can be perceived as a contribution to enlightening policymakers and practitioners about PFM practices and core factors that hampered the forest management effort.

Mapping Land Use Land Cover Changes and Their Determinants in the Context of a Massive Free Labour Mobilisation Campaign: Evidence from South Wollo, Ethiopia

Northern Ethiopia is characterised by fragile mountain eco-systems that are highly susceptible to land degradation, impacting food security and livelihoods. This study appraises Land Use Land Cover Changes (LULCC) and their determinants from 2000 to 2020 in Dessie Zuria and Kutaber Woredas. It explores the LULCC and the key anthropogenic drivers of the change over the past 20 years through a mix of satellite imagery and a survey of local understandings. Six land use types (agriculture, forest, area closure, grazing, settlement and bare land) were mapped from satellite imagery that was acquired from Landsat 7 for the years 2000, 2005, and 2010, and Landsat 8 and OLI multispectral imageries for the years 2015 and 2020 with a spectral resolution of 30-m obtained from USGS. The results showed that agricultural land increased from 29.68% in 2000 to 35.77% in 2020.Furthermore, settlement and grazing lands enlarged from 5.95% and 6.04%, respectively, to 8.31% and 6.35% during the same period, while bare land increased from 9.89% to 10.92% in 2020. On the contrary, forest and area closure decreased from 18.45% and 29.99% to 17.8% and 17.38%, respectively. Meanwhile, population growth, unrestricted grazing, losing a sense of ownership of protected area closures and forests, lack of cooperation, using the free labour mobilisation schemes for government-induced agendas, weak enforcement of laws and bylaws, and engaging farmers for extended days on the campaign were prominent determinants of the changes. This research has implications for development actors across land management and food security towards implementing sustainable land management in the area and beyond.

Effects of development interventions on pastoral livelihoods in Turkana County, Kenya

Turkana County has a long history of drought and development interventions and remains one of the poorest counties in Kenya. In Turkana, livelihoods are increasingly under threat because of climate change, conflict, and the changing land use and management. There are complex interactions between the multiple drivers of change in landscapes and livelihoods in the region. The question addressed here is: How have external development interventions contributed to the changing pastoralist livelihoods in Turkana? This study is specific to the lower part of the Turkwel River basin, particularly the Nanyee irrigated area in Turkwel, Loima sub-County of Turkana County. This article examines the external development interventions during the colonial, post-independence, and contemporary periods to reveal the ways that land use practices and livelihoods have changed across these periods. Land use practices are changing due to the growing human population, droughts, urbanization, and dispossession of grazing areas through state and donor-supported interventions. It is suggested in this article that the change from a system of customary, unrestricted grazing to one of enclosed pastures has threatened pastoral territories, as well as cultures and livelihoods over the past six decades. The new set of development interventions introduced by international and national actors have failed to support local livelihoods, instead joining the list of existing problems that undermine pastoralism, including drought, livestock diseases, and cattle rustling.

The effects of long time conservation of heavily grazed shrubland: a case study in the Northern Negev, Israel.

One of the major reasons for desertification is unrestricted grazing leading to vegetation depletion, soil erosion and degradation, phenomena often considered irreversible in the short term. Here, we compare soil and biological parameters of degraded and conserved, recently rehabilitated arid shrubland in the Northern Negev, Israel. The study area was restored by conservation efforts including a strictly controlled grazing regime initiated in 1992. The visually recognizable improvement in the ecology of the restored shrubland is reflected in significant improvement in all examined biotic (herbaceous biomass, shrub patch density, and insect activity), and soil parameters (nutrients, organic matter content, moisture, and water infiltration). The difference is created predominantly by restoration of large biological patches composed of shrubs and other perennial plants often associated with ant or termite nests, where the most significant increases in productivity and soil quality were observed. In the conserved shrubland such patches covered 35 or 25% of the area (in a normal and a drought year, respectively). In the degraded shrubland 5% or less of the area was occupied by such patches that were much smaller and of lower biological complexity. With respect to plant biodiversity, six plant species were found only-and 18 others became significantly more common-in the rehabilitated area. The results of this article indicate that functional arid drylands can be restored within <16years relying on strict conservation management with reduced grazing intensity.

Silage-concentrate finishing of bulls versus silage or fresh forage finishing of steers: Effects on fatty acids and meat tenderness

The objective of this trial was to assess meat quality in terms of tenderness and fatty acid (FA) composition in M. longissimus dorsi and M. gluteus medius from bulls finished on ad lib silage-concentrates (SIL:CON) vs. steers fed ad lib silage (FF) or restricted silage and unrestricted grazing (RES-F). Warner-Brazler shear force value day 1 was lowest for the FF steers (p<0.05). Myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) values were similar after seven days of ageing, showing that ageing compensated for differences in meat tenderness associated with feeding programmes. Total monounsaturated FAs and 18:1c-9 levels were higher in the steer tissue (p<0.001). The SIL:CON bulls had higher polyunsaturated n-6 fatty acids and 18:2n-6 level (p<0.001). Polar lipid 18:2n-6 and n-6 levels were higher for FF than for RES-F steers, whereas the 18:3n-3 level was higher for RES-F than for FF steers (p<0.001). The n-6/n-3 ratio was lowest for the FF steers and highest for the SIL:CON bulls (p<0.001).

Desempenho de vacas leiteiras em pastagem de alfafa suplementada com silagem de milho e concentrado e viabilidade econômica do sistema

Avaliou-se o efeito da substituição parcial de silagem de milho por pastagem de alfafa no desempenho de vacas leiteiras e na viabilidade econômica do sistema. Utilizaram-se 24 vacas da raça Holandesa, em estádio médio de lactação, em delineamento em blocos ao acaso. Os tratamentos foram: dieta à base de silagem de milho em confinamento, silagem de milho substituída parcialmente por pastejo restrito (PR) e pastejo irrestrito (PI) de alfafa. O sistema de pastejo foi rotacionado, e a quantidade de concentrado igual em todos os tratamentos. A massa de forragem foi de 2.338 e de 1.878kg de MS/ha, e a oferta de 1,8 e 4,2kg de MS/100kg de peso vivo, nos tratamentos PR e PI, respectivamente. A produção de leite não diferiu entre os tratamentos, cujas médias foram de 25,9; 25,8 e 25,2 litros por vaca por dia no confinamento, no PR e no PI, respectivamente. A produção diária de leite por área foi de 59,3L/ha no PR e de 63,0L/ha no PI, enquanto no confinamento foi de 45,7L/ha. A substituição parcial de silagem de milho por alfafa em pastejo não limitou o desempenho produtivo dos animais e mostrou-se economicamente vantajosa em relação ao confinamento.

Livestock grazing behaviour along a degradation gradient in the Somali region of eastern Ethiopia

Livestock grazing behaviour is poorly understood in the arid rangelands of Ethiopia, resulting in inadequate rangeland management and grazing systems, which are no improvement on the traditional practices by pastoralists. This study aimed at quantifying the influence of rangeland degradation on grazing behaviour of the livestock breeds in the Shinile zone of the Somali region in eastern Ethiopia. Indigenous pastoral knowledge was also used in understanding and ranking the livestock preferences. Six each of male cattle, sheep, goats and camels, with average masses of 200, 35, 30 and 220 kg, respectively, were used and randomly assigned for unrestricted grazing. Species selectivity, grazing time, grazing intensity and number of bites were recorded. Forage mass intake per animal per day was estimated through a simulated feeding trial using Panicum coloratum hay. Number, type and abundance of preferred herbaceous species, as well as selectivity by livestock species, declined with rangeland degradation. Grazing time, intensity, number of bites, forage mass and dry matter intake increased with rangeland degradation. Rangeland condition is an important determinant of grazing behaviour of livestock species, an important tool for decision making in improving grazing and rangeland management systems under arid and semi-arid conditions.

The search for new pasture plants to achieve more sustainable production systems in southern Australia

Increasing the proportion of the landscape planted to deep-rooted perennial pasture species is recognised as one of several remedial actions required for the control of dryland salinity in southern Australia. The widespread use of perennials in farming systems is limited at present by the lack of well-adapted perennials that can be grown to reduce recharge in a landscape where drought, soil acidity, temporary waterlogging, infertile soils and unrestricted grazing prohibit the use of many species. The range of plants adapted to salinity also needs to be expanded to stabilise and ameliorate soils already degraded by rising watertables and to increase the profitability of grazing discharge regions within the landscape. This paper describes the steps involved in a national forage screening and breeding program initiated by the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity1, seeking to expand the range of perennial and or salt-tolerant forage plants that can be incorporated into farming systems of southern Australia. It describes the target environments, soil constraints, farming systems and the criteria being considered when assessing the potential of new plants, including assessment of the weed risk posed by introducing new species. This paper forms an introduction to a special issue which presents the outcomes of the pasture species field evaluation and plant breeding program conducted by the CRC.

Staple strength of fine, medium and strong wool Merino wethers under drought conditions

Fine, medium and strong wool Merino wethers (n = 72, 4 years old) were grazed together on drought-affected pastures in a semi-arid environment. In order to examine the hypothesis that restricting liveweight gains at the break of drought would improve staple strength, sheep were allocated to restricted grazing in a 5-ha paddock (drought group), or unrestricted grazing in a 20-ha paddock (drought-break group) when it was judged that the drought had broken in the region. Wool staples from all sheep broke at a point coinciding with summer rainfall events before allocation to treatment groups, and staple strength did not differ between treatments. Medium wool sheep (22.0 ± 1.6 N/ktex) produced wool of lower (P&lt;0.001) staple strength than fine (30.0 ± 1.6 N/ktex) or strong (30.2 ± 1.6 N/ktex) wool sheep. Restricting the measurement of staple strength to the period when treatments were applied revealed no effect of treatment on staple strength, despite the fact that wethers in the drought-break group experienced a greater (P&lt;0.001) liveweight gain (6.62 ± 0.37 kg) after allocation to their treatment than those in the drought group (–3.24 ± 0.37 kg). Staple strength was most strongly correlated with coefficient of variation of fibre diameter (r = –0.65; P&lt;0.001); a result that was observed for all strains and treatment groups. The results indicate that coefficient of variation of fibre diameter is correlated with staple strength regardless of strain, and that management strategies designed to limit fibre diameter variability during a drought need to be applied not only at the break of a drought.

Restricting the grazing time of cattle to decrease phosphorus, sediment and E. coli losses in overland flow from cropland

This study investigated the effects of grazing management of brassica crops during winter on soil physical properties and sediment, phosphorus (P), and E. coli loss via overland flow. Dairy cows were allowed either unrestricted grazing, grazing restricted to 3 h, or no grazing. Treading in the unrestricted treatment decreased soil bulk density and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), and increased surface roughness, loads and concentrations of suspended sediment, and E. coli and P loss in overland flow relative to the ungrazed treatment. Only bulk density was different in the restricted compared with the ungrazed treatment. For total P, the mean load in overland flow from the unrestricted grazing treatment after grazing was 3.31 mg/plot compared with restricted grazing (0.74 mg/plot) and ungrazed (0.76 mg/plot) treatments, with most of the increase in particulate form. E. coli concentrations only exceeded water quality guidelines in the first event after grazing, and only in the unrestricted grazing treatment. We found that restricting grazing on forage crops during winter was beneficial for minimising contaminant loss.

Better Access to New Technologies and Credit Service, Farmers^|^prime; Land Use Decision, and Policy for Poverty Alleviation and Rangeland Conservation

This paper focuses upon the incompatibility between poverty alleviation and environmental conservation and the solution to the incompatibility in an agro-pastoral area of China. The effects on income and grazing pressureof restricting herd size, prohibiting rangeland reclamation, introduction of sedentary beef production, and credit provision were examined using linear programming in a cropping system and a pastoral system in Inner Mongolia, China. Eight scenarios on land use regulations were compared: unrestricted grazing with or without prohibition of rangeland reclamation, four grazing restrictions (1 or 2 sheep equivalent/ha; 5 or 10 sheep equivalent/person), and two grazing prohibitions (half-year or all year). Complete prohibition of rangeland reclamation and grazing reduced income, but with different effects in the two systems. Rangeland reclamation prohibition reduced income more in the cropping system (-26%) than in the pastoral system (-9%), while grazing prohibition reduced income more in the pastoral system (-55%) than in the cropping system (-14%). Grazing restrictions had little effect on income (0 to -9%) in the cropping system, but more severe restrictions (1 sheep equivalent/ha or 5 sheep equivalent/person) had major negative impact on income (-31% and -30% respectively) in the pastoral system. Introduction of sedentary beef production increased income under all three grazing restriction scenarios in both systems, by 30-42% in the cropping system and 3-18% in the pastoral system, relative to unrestricted grazing without land reclamation. Compared with no credit service, providing credit for poor households of the cropping system to introduce sedentary beef production increased their income by 51%, and increased income for poor households in the pastoral system under the grazing restriction of 1 sheep equivalent/ha by 416%.

Risk factors for clinical Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium infection on Dutch dairy farms

Risk factors for outbreaks in 1999 of clinical Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium infection on dairy farms were studied in a matched case–control study with 47 case farms and 47 control farms. All 47 case farms experienced a clinical outbreak of salmonellosis which was confirmed with a positive bacteriologic culture for serovar Typhimurium in one or more samples. Serovar Typhimurium phage type 401 and 506 (definitive type 104, DT104) were the most frequently isolated phage types (13 isolates). On most farms (66%), clinical signs were seen only among adult cows. The most frequently reported clinical signs were diarrhoea (in 92% of the farms) and depression (in 79% of the farms). Control farms were matched on region and had no history of salmonellosis. A questionnaire was used to collect data on case and control farms. The relationship between serovar Typhimurium status of the farm and possible risk factors was tested using conditional logistic regression. Significant factors in the final model were presence of cats on the farm (OR=0.06), purchase of manure (OR=21.5), feeding colostrum only from own dam (OR=0.08), a non-seasonal calving pattern (OR=25), unrestricted grazing of lactating cows (OR=0.07), and a high mean mowing percentage of pasture (OR=1.02).

Politics and Property Rights: The Closing of the Open Range in the Postbellum South.

After the American Civil War, agricultural reformers in the South called for an end to unrestricted grazing of livestock on unfenced land. They advocated the stock law, which required livestock owners to fence in their animals, arguing that the existing system (in which farmers built protective fences around crops) was outdated and inhibited economic growth. The reformers steadily won their battles, and by the end of the century the range was on the way to being closed. In this study Shawn Kantor uses economic analysis to assert that contrary to traditional historical interpretation, this conflict was centered on anticipated benefits from fencing livestock rather than on class, cultural or ideological differences. The text seeks to show that the stock law brought economic benefits; and at the same time analyzes why the law's adoption was hindered in many areas where it would have increased wealth. Kantor's argument illuminates the dynamics of real-world institutional change, where transactions are often costly and where some inefficient institutions persist while others give way to economic growth.

Voluntary automatic milking in combination with grazing of dairy cows: Milking frequency and effects on behaviour

Automatic milking systems (AMS) enable cows to be milked without human interference. Such systems are more acceptable to consumers and from the animal welfare point of view if they can be combined with grazing in the summer season. In this study, grazing was combined with fully automatic milking for a group of 24 crossbred Holstein–Friesian cows. It was assumed that the cows would visit the AMS voluntarily. Zero grazing (G0) was compared with restricted grazing (cows could spend up to 12 h outdoors daily; G12) and unrestricted grazing (cows could spend up to 24 h daily at pasture; G24). The AMS was continuously available in the cowshed adjacent to the pasture of 1.5 ha. Water was available in the barn, but not at pasture. The average daily milking frequency was 2.3 in G24 compared with 2.5–2.8 in the other treatments ( p<0.01). The reason was that the cows spread their visits to the AMS less evenly over the day in G24 (more visits in the afternoon and less visits at night; p<0.01). In the grazing treatments, the cows spent more time eating forage ( p<0.01). The lying times did not differ between the treatments, but the cows lay between 80 and 99.6% of their total lying time at pasture when they had the opportunity to be outdoors. In the grazing treatments, cows entered or left the barn in the company of at least one other cow in 76.6 to 90.7% of the cases. The cows' arrival times at the barn or pasture were not randomly distributed ( p<0.01). In G24, cows spent less time in the pasture between 1000 and 1700 h when the Black Globe Humidity Index was high ( p<0.01), and, related to that, a likeliness for conditions of heat stress. It was concluded that automatic milking on a voluntary basis can indeed be combined with grazing. Grazing seems to be advantageous for the welfare of the cows, as they clearly preferred to lie in the pasture rather than in the cubicles. For the farmer, restricted grazing is more reliable than unrestricted grazing, as milking frequency will be higher on average. Farmers wishing to apply automatic milking with grazing should manage this flexibly, in accordance with ambient conditions, as the weather affects cow behaviour.

The incidence, calf morbidity and mortality due to Theileria parva infections in smallholder dairy farms in Murang'a District, Kenya

A prospective observational study was conducted among smallholder dairy farmers in Murang'a District, Kenya, to estimate the incidence of Theileria parva infections, as well as calf morbidity and mortality caused by the infection. The study was conducted between March 1995 and August 1996, in five cohorts of female calves from birth to six months of age from different agro-ecological zones (AEZs) and grazing-system strata shown previously to have varying prevalences of T. parva infection. A total of 188 smallholder dairy farms with 225 female calves were selected purposively by five AEZ-grazing strata. All recruited calves were visited within the first two weeks of life and thereafter at biweekly intervals up to the age of six months. The mean number of cattle in these smallholder farms was 2.6. Both exotic and indigenous breeds of cattle and their crosses were present, with the former predominating. The incidence (27–54%) of sero-conversion to T. parva in an ELISA test was significantly different ( p<0.05) across the five AEZ-grazing strata and increased with lower elevation and unrestricted grazing. Calf morbidity and mortality were also variable across the AEZ-grazing strata. East Coast fever (ECF) was the highest-incidence cause calf morbidity and mortality (relative to other diseases). There are great differences in the epidemiology of ECF within a small area and this implies that there is need to carefully consider different ECF control strategies in different AEZ-grazing strata.

Experiments on the Effects of Fertilizer and Rabbit Grazing Treatments Upon the Vegetation of a Limestone Quarry Floor

A study is described in which two very low levels of fertilizer application and three levels of rabbit grazing treatments were used to accelerate the colonization of a limestone quarry floor from an initial mean vegetation cover of 21-4%. A factorial experiment was laid out with six randomized blocks, each with six plots. An «extra-fertilizer» treatment was added later by splitting the plots. All treatment combinations were studied over 5 years for their effects upon the percentage cover of vegetation, species richness, species frequency and the number of species in flower. There was virtually no change in mean percentage cover values in the control plots (no fertilizer, unrestricted grazing), but all the other treatments produced some increase (...)