Range management options for sustainable improvement of fodder and livestock production in the dry areas
The dry areas of the world cover an estimated one-third of the earths surface.More than one billion people(mostly poor)live on such lands.Animals(small ruminants)play an important role in the livelihood of people in the dry areas.In West Asia and North Africa(WANA),rangeland degradation,over the years,has resulted in feed shortage.This manuscript highlights different options to maximize feed productivity in WANA on: Cropland(rain-fed and irrigated),pasture on non-arable lands and rangelands receiving <200 mm.The improvements of feed availability within cropland(rain-fed)include use of legumes such as vetch(Vicia sativa,V.dasycarpa,V.narbonensis)and annual medic.Cereal-shrubs alley farming is an efficient way to utilize cereal stubbles under rain-fed agriculture.In the Arabian Peninsula,where extensive rangeland degradation has led to the widespread use of irrigated exotic forages,the research focused on identifying new forages that use less water.Pastures lands in West Asia have shown significant improvement as a result of annual application of phosphate fertilizer.Over sowing of rangeland receiving <200 mm rainfall with fodder shrubs significantly improved fodder availability and sheep productivity.
A.E.Osman
Pasture and Range Ecologist,ICARDA,Aleppo,Syria. Current address: P.O. Box 3369,Khartoum,Sudan
国际会议
The 11th International Conference on Development of Drylands(第十一届国际干旱区大会)
北京
英文
565-577
2013-03-18（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）