Human Population Growth, African Pastoralism, and Rangelands: A Perspective

Pastoral livestock production systems in Africa that have existed for centuries are now threatened by changing demographics, improved communications, increased availability of modern weapons, open rangeland shrinkage, global warming, and large-scale migration of people from rural areas to rapidly expanding cities. Human population increase coupled with globalization has led to major conflicts over natural resources in several African countries. If current growth rates persist, the population of Africa will double in 33 yr. Land resources available for farming are now fully used in several African countries. There is growing concern about the capability of these countries to feed their future projected populations. Africa's three most populous countries (Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt) are all net food importers. Demand for meat and milk in Africa is projected to double by 2050. Roughly one-half of Africa can be classified as rangeland. Some form of pastoral grazing is the most efficient way to use most of these lands and sustain traditional cultures. Because most African rangelands are now stocked at or above grazing capacity, there is little potential to increase livestock production by increasing animal numbers. However, because offtake levels across Africa are much lower than in other parts of the world, considerable potential exists to increase meat and milk production. Local development projects oriented toward keeping people on the land and self-sufficiency have considerable potential to improve living and environmental conditions for small farmers and pastoralists. Improved and equal education opportunities for both genders, family planning assistance, renewable energy development, empowerment of women, improvement of soil and water resources, and wildlife conservation should be areas of development focus. Maintaining migration corridors, providing legal rights to historic grazing lands, and providing support services along migration corridors such as watering points, markets, schools, and health care are important strategies to sustain pastoralism. © Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Society for Range Management.The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information

A GPS-based Evaluation of Factors Commonly Used to Adjust Cattle Stocking Rates on Both Extensive and Mountainous Rangelands

Published research provides guidelines to reduce stocking rates on areas >10% slope and >1.6 km from water because these areas may be considered ungrazeable. Data from 180 cattle tracked by GPS collars for 1 to 4 months at seven ranches in New Mexico, Arizona, and Montana on average resulted in grazeable area calculations that were approximately 10% higher than those derived from published guidelines. In several cases, published guidelines yielded more conservative stocking rate estimates compared with our GPS-based calculations. However, our data should be interpreted with caution because most data were collected over a single season or year. Our results support recommending local experience and information be used in applying published guidelines to adjust stocking rates. These guidelines may not reflect site-specific management and the adaptability of cattle to local conditions. Animal GPS tracking is a sound tool to monitor spatial impact of grazing on rangelands and could be used to enhance commonly used stocking rate adjustment tools, such as annual monitoring of precipitation, forage production, and grazing intensity on key areas. © 2020 The AuthorsThe Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information

Forage and Weather Influence Day versus Nighttime Cow Behavior and Calf Weaning Weights on Rangeland

We determined the effects of two forage allowance levels (LOW vs. HIGH) and weather conditions on daytime and nighttime movement patterns of young rangeland-raised cows. We also investigated whether calf weaning weights (n = 42) were significantly related to postcalving movement patterns of the dam. Global positioning system data were collected over 4 years by recording 5-min interval locations of 52 crossbred cows grazing a 146-ha woodland/grassland pasture for approximately 20 days. The pasture was stocked moderately in 2004 (73 AUMs) and 2005 (78 AUMs) and lightly in 2006 (34 AUMs) and 2007 (32 AUMs). Estimated forage allowance was lowin 2004 and 2005 (347 and 438 kg herbage · cow-1, respectively) and high in 2006 and 2007 (1104 and 1884 kg herbage · cow-1, respectively). We calculated distance traveled, path sinuosity, woodland preference, and area explored for each cow during 24 h (D + N), daytime (DAY), and nighttime (PRE dawn and POST sunset) periods. Cows in LOW traveled farther than counterparts in HIGH during D + N and DAY (P < 0.01) periods but traveled shorter or similar distances during POST (P = 0.05) and PRE (P = 0.29) nighttime periods, respectively. Cows in LOW exhibited more sinuous movement paths than cows in HIGH during DAY, PRE, and POST periods (P < 0.01). Cows in LOW explored larger areas and spent more time in woodlands than counterparts in HIGH (P < 0.01). Weather factors associated with thermal comfort affected daily variation in both daytime and nighttime movement patterns of cows. A dam's movement patterns in the weeks immediately following calving were correlated (P < 0.01) with steer but not heifer calf WW. Moderate stocking rates (LOW treatment) induced behaviors that resulted in higher woodland preference and heavier steer calf WW. © 2016 The Society for Range Management. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information

Stochastic Rangeland Use under Capital Constraints

The stocking density on Kazakhstan's extensive rangelands is well below traditional levels. To analyze dynamic flock performance, we develop a stochastic dynamic programming model for livestock systems with stochastic forage production. The model contains continuous five state and 12 control variables, allowing improved characterization of the biophysical relationships and economic tradeoffs inherent in such systems. Most Kazakhstan herders have restricted access to capital. The model indicates that the cost of capital strongly affects flock size and productivity. We conclude that capital constraints are important to explaining the current low stocking density. Improving capital markets in rural areas warrants policy attention. Copyright 2007, Oxford University Press.