Changing Grassland Scenario in Developing Countries--Economical and Social Perspective

Grasslands are mainly used for livestock production in developing countries although they have been facing contradictory pressures, i.e., increased demand for natural resources and animal products to cope with rising human populations. On the other, there is a need to preserve the environment and ecosystem. This paper reviewed the causes of grassland changes, the economic and social perspective of changing grasslands with more emphasis on dry lands. Different indicators were used to assess the economic (livestock production, wildlife and tourism, crop production, ecosystem services) and social (traditional institutions, mobility, land tenure and grazing systems) perspectives of changing grassland. The major causes of grassland change/degradation are natural and human induced factors. Compared to the past, there is an increased market orientation of the communities and increased livelihood diversification. A decline in livestock productivity and mobility, emergence of different wealth classes, weakening of the traditional institutions and shifts from communal to individual landholdings are some of the changes observed. The negative economic and social perspectives regarding mobile livestock production are changing drastically. In the conclusion part, potential research activities are outlined

Assessment of Woody Vegetation Structure in Relation to Different Grazing Areas and Chemical Composition of Major Browse Species in Chifra District, Afar Regional state

The objectives of the study were to assess the woody species composition and chemical composition of major browse species under three grazing areas. The study was undertaken in Chifra district of zone one (Awsi Rasu) of the Afar Regional State. The total tree species recorded in the study district was 14. According to the perceptions of the pastoralists, of the identified woody species, 42.9, 28.6, 21.4 and 7.1% were highly palatable, palatable, less palatable and unpalatable, respectively. Some of the dominant (>20% of the density) and/or common (10% to 20% of the density) woody species in the communal grazing areas of the lower altitude (>550-850m) were Acalypha fruticosa and Solanum incanum. A long riversides species like Casuarina equisetifolia and Salvadora persiaca were dominant and/or common. Whereas, Acacia tortilis, C. equisetifolia, C. africana and G. tembensis were common and/or dominant in the enclosure areas.  A. fruticosa and G. tembensis were common and/or dominant in the communal grazing area of the upper altitude (>850-1100 m) The communal grazing areas had a higher percentage of woody vegetation in two consecutive height classes i.e. >0-0.5 m and >0.5-1m in the lower altitude (>550-850 m) but in the upper altitude (>850-1100 m) a higher percentage of woody vegetation were found in three consecutive height classes, i.e.,>1.5-2m, >2-3m and >3-4m than in the other two grazing areas. The CP content was higher in the composite sample taken from enclosure areas and lowest in riversides grazing areas in both seasons. Grewia tembensis was the best tree species with better nutritive value due to higher content of CP, whereas Balanite aegyptica was a low quality species relative to the other tree species. Keywords: Communal, riversides, enclosure, tree species, common and dominant

Improvement of Grassland Through Community Participation in the Middle AwashValley of Ethiopia

The natural resources of the grassland in the middle Awash valley of Ethiopia are subjected to competing claims: development to generate revenue for the state, conservation of wildlife and wilderness areas, as well as use for local production. The combination of climatic conditions causing drought and the over use of the natural resource can be cited as the primary cause of grassland deterioration in the area. Since the problems of the grasslands are complex and multi-dimensional, they are not amenable to quick and easy fixes. Hence, if sustainable progress is to be achieved, the responsibility for change must be in the hands of the communities and household themselves. Pastoral communities, in collaboration with CARE-Ethiopia, local government and other partner NGOs embarked on grassland improvement activities that were based on traditional activities. The objective of this study was to assess the condition of the traditionally-improved grazing lands

Performance of Arsi-Bale kids supplemented with graded levels of pigeonpea in dry season in Mid Rift valley of Ethiopia

Free grazing/browsing Arsi-Bale kids in dry season were supplemented with different levels of dried pigeon pea (Cajanus cajun) leaves to study its effect on weight gain. Kids browsed freely (PP0), and/or supplemented with 66 g (PP66), 99 g (PP99) and 132 g (PP132 PP) of sun dried pigeon pea leaves. Supplementation significantly (P<0.05) increased average daily gain of kids but there was no significant (P<0.05) difference between kids supplemented with PP99 and PP132 g in terms of total weight gain. There was a significance difference among treatments for net profit and the highest net profit was obtained for PP99. Therefore, supplementing kid with PP99 dried pigeon pea leaves was found to be the most profitable level for rift valley kid under farmer condition in dry season.Oromia Agricultural Research Institute (OARI)http://www.academicjournals.org/AJARam201

The Potential and Limitations of Grasslands for Livestock Production in West Shoa Zone of Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Ethiopia holds the largest livestock population in Africa estimated at about 54 million heads of cattle, 25.5 million sheep, 24.06 million goats, 0.92 million camels, 4.5 million donkeys, 1.7 million horses, 0.33 million mules, 54 million chicken and 4.9 million beehives (CSA, 2012). Despite the huge livestock population, the productivity of livestock in general is low and compared to its huge resource its contribution to the national economy is below expected. Among the major problems affecting livestock production and productivity in Ethiopia, feed shortage in terms of quantity and quality is the leading problem (Alan et al., 2012). The major feed resources in Ethiopia are natural pasture (grasslands) and crop residues with varying proportion among the different zones of the country. The role of natural pasture grazing as a major livestock feed resource is diminishing from time to time due to shrinking grazing land size (Yayneshet, 2010). Yet, the potential and limitations of the grasslands in the different zones are not studied and properly documented. Thus, the objective of this study is to assess the potentials and limitations of the vast grasslands found in west Shoa zone of the Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia where the LIVES project is currently operating

Identification of potential untapped herbaceous flora in the mid rift valley of Ethiopia and their nutritive value

This study was conducted with the objective to identify untapped herbaceous flora that were used as livestock feed and to determine their chemical composition in wet season. Twelve peasant associations (PAs) and a total of 120 households were selected for the study. Key informants were also used for vernacular name identification and utilization. Samples were also taken from their edible parts for analysis of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), total ash, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), cellulose and lignin. A total of 17 different herbs and forbs were identified which have a feed value for different livestock species. The CP values of species ranged between 10.9 to 27.86% with the highest value being recorded in Sida ovata Forssk. while the lowest value was recorded in Gutenbergia rueppellii Sch.Bip. The NDF value ranged from 26.1 to 53.16%. The highest NDF value was recorded in G. rueppellii Sch.Bip. and the lowest was recorded in Achyranthus aspera L. Generally, the differences within species and among different species in terms of chemical composition of these browses was significant. Some of them contain crude protein content of more than 190 g/kg DM, which has a capacity of supplementing poor quality roughages.http://www.academicjournals.org/AJARnf201

A Decision Support System for Monitoring Livestock Diet Quality and Performance: Verification Study on Cattle, Adami Tulu, Ethiopia

Fecal profiling technology based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been widely used in the U.S. to predict the diet quality and performance of free-ranging animals (e.g. Leite & Stuth 1995, Lyons & Stuth 1992, Lyons et al., 1993, Stuth et al., 1999, Tolleson et al., 2001). This technology is linked with the Nutritional Balance Analyzer (NUTBAL-PRO) model to form the core of a nutritional advisory system for livestock producers in the United States. This model predicts changes in body weight and condition for a broad range of livestock classes for cattle, sheep and goats. To test the system\u27s transferability and usefulness to livestock producers in the developing countries a small trial was conducted in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia to evaluate the validity of the advisory system in East Africa using the NIRS equations developed in the United States

Changing Grassland Scenario in Developing Countries - Economical and Social Perspective

Grasslands are mainly used for livestock production in developing countries although they have been facing contradictory pressures, i.e., increased demand for natural resources and animal products to cope with rising human populations. On the other, there is a need to preserve the environment and ecosystem. This paper reviewed the causes of grassland changes, the economic and social perspective of changing grasslands with more emphasis on dry lands. Different indicators were used to assess the economic (livestock production, wildlife and tourism, crop production, ecosystem services) and social (traditional institutions, mobility, land tenure and grazing systems) perspectives of changing grassland. The major causes of grassland change/degradation are natural and human induced factors. Compared to the past, there is an increased market orientation of the communities and increased livelihood diversification. A decline in livestock productivity and mobility, emergence of different wealth classes, weakening of the traditional institutions and shifts from communal to individual landholdings are some of the changes observed. The negative economic and social perspectives regarding mobile livestock production are changing drastically. In the conclusion part, potential research activities are outlined