Rangeland condition and feed resources in Metema District, North ...

owsing height of the animals. According to Tainton (1999) height of 1.5 m represents
the mean browsing height for goats.
Table 22. Percentage of height class (metres) distribution of trees and shrubs in Metema
Height class
CLFS
SLFS
CG RS EN CG RS EN
< 0–1 m 22.6 25.0 21.1 20.6 23.1 20.8
> 1–3 m 45.2 33.3 42.1 41.2 38.5 33.3
>3–4.5 m 19.4 16.7 15.8 26.5 23.1 12.5
> 4.5 m 12.9 25.0 21.1 11.8 15.4 33.3
CLFS = cotton–livestock farming system; SLFS = sesame–livestock farming system; CG = communal grazing; RS
= road side grazing, EN = enclosure.
Hence, these reachable heights of different woody browse species make the area
favourable to raise browsing animal species such as goats and at the same time maintain
the balance between the woody and herbaceous species. Studies suggested that
integration of grazers and browsers having different feeding habitats makes more efficient
use of natural vegetations. According to Taylor (1985), when cattle were partly replaced
by goats and/or sheep, individual cattle performance increased because forage demand
for the grass component was reduced. Likewise, production of ewes increased when
some sheep were replaced by cattle and goats because grazing pressure on the forbs
component declined. Herd diversification through increasing the number of browsers
such as camels and goats would also contribute towards efficient resource utilization and
decreases woody plant encroachments in rangelands (Gemedo 2004).
4.8.3 Vegetation in the cotton–livestock farming system
Herbaceous species composition
From a total of 24 herbaceous species recorded in the cotton–livestock farming system,
50, 20.8 and 29.2% are different species of grasses, legumes and sedges (Table 23).
Among the grass species identified, 25% are highly desirable, 33.3% are desirable
and 41.7% are less desirable, respectively. The ratios of the herbaceous species
(grasses:legumes:sedges) is 12:5:7. Bracheria lata, P. spheslatum, R. fistulosa and Seteria
pumila are the common grass species. In the communal grazing areas, C. ciliaris is
the dominant grass species, while Cyprus spp, Eurochloa fatamensis fistulosa, R. and
S. pumila, are the common grass species. In the road side grazing areas, E. flocifolia is
dominant. The enclosure areas have a relatively higher percentage of highly desirable
grass species than the communal and road side grazing areas. In the enclosure areas, C.
ciliaris, Cyprus spp, E. fatamensis, P. spheslatum and S. pumila, are the common species,
while Themeda teriandra and H. rufa are dominant. This could be attributed to a better
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