ICARDA annual report 2004

ICARDA Annual Report 2004
38
Developing these kinds of community-based
practices requires a
good understanding of local institutions,
rangeland use, land degradation,
and the interactions among
these factors. Researchers also need
to gauge local people’s knowledge
and views. In 2004, ICARDA and
Syrian national program
researchers conducted a rapid
socioecological survey of the
resources of 11 Syrian steppe communities
by interviewing their
leaders. In total, these communities
comprised 615 households. The
findings are being used to explore
socially appropriate options for
cooperative rotational grazing.
Researchers quantified the numbers
of livestock and households in
each community, and the amount of
rangeland each village controlled
(Table 9). On average, between 1999
and 2003, 58% of households used
the range to graze livestock, and animals
spent eight months per year on
the range. However, rangeland-grazing
times varied considerably during
this period, from 2 to 12 months,
depending on rainfall and the community
surveyed. Most time was
spent on the range in 2003, when
grazing was relatively good.
The project also assessed communities’
perceptions of the effects
of grazing. Most felt that poor plant
growth (short and weak plants)
was due to continuous grazing.
However, all felt that native plants
would recover from overgrazing
during a good rainy season.
According to the communities,
most of their rangelands had
degraded over the past 20 years as
a result of heavy grazing.
All households in each community
were represented in a livestock-breeding
and rangelandimprovement
cooperative. All communities
were aware of the boundaries
of their land and there were
no inter-community boundary disputes.
When researchers suggested
rotational grazing as a means to
control degradation, one community
indicated that it did not have
enough rangeland to implement
rotational grazing. The other 10
said that they could subdivide their
rangeland and graze it in rotation,
but only if they were provided with
either supplementary feed or
guards.
Researchers worked with community
leaders and shepherds to
assess rangeland conditions at 17
sites. Previously cultivated areas
were not evaluated, as they were
severely degraded and will not be
suitable for rotational grazing until
forage plants have been restored.
According to the communities, 14
of the sites were best grazed in
spring, because they were dominated
by annual plants that disappear
in summer, and three could be
grazed in summer. Communities
named two sites that were best
used in winter and autumn because
these were dominated by the
perennial shrub Artemisia spp.
The value of the forage available
per site in the 2003/04 growing
season was assessed based on total
plant biomass and the number of
palatable plant species. Sixty percent
of the sites had a low forage
value, 35% a medium value, and
only 6% (a shrub plantation) a high
value. Shepherds estimated that 30-
50% of the vegetation available
could be used as forage in a typical
year. Of the 34 major plant species
identified, 50% provided good forage,
while 32% were poor forage.
Fourteen percent had no value, 6%
had medicinal value, 6% could be
used as human food, and 6% as
fuel. Most of the species used for
Table 9. Rangeland area, household and livestock numbers, time spent grazing on the range, and degradation index, in 11 communities
in the Syrian steppe: results of a survey conducted in 2003/04 to assess the feasibility of cooperative rotational grazing.
Previously
No. of
months
No. of Rangeland area (ha) cropped No. of grazed on Stocking Degrad-
Community
households
Not
improved
Previously
Rested Replanted cropped Total
area
(% of total)
livestock
range
(2003/04)
rate ation
(2003/04) ‡ index†
Bir Zedan 100 23000 5000 100 7000 35100 19.9 40000 12 13.7 2.8
Al Khashabieh 70 3000 3250 0 15400 24000 64.2 16000 12 8.0 2.8
Al Tahamiz 50 10000 0 0 2000 12000 16.7 5000 12 5.0 2.3
Shikh Hilal 100 3000 0 0 7000 10000 70.0 450 7 0.3 1.9
Kherbet Hachem 40 7000 100 100 150 7350 2.0 3400 8 3.7 2.9
Al Haddaj 50 4000 300 0 2700 7000 38.6 10000 12 17.1 2.4
Abou AlAllaj 60 3500 0 0 3000 6500 46.2 7000 5 5.4 2.4
Abou Mial 25 2000 500 1500 2000 6000 33.3 1600 3 0.8 3.6
Al Ksair 10 2150 150 1700 300 4300 7.0 2500 12 7.0 2.3
Hwayet Aldibeh 90 100 250 850 1200 2400 50.0 9000 12 45.0 1.8
Al Alia 20 1100 100 0 500 1700 29.4 2500 12 17.6 2.2
TOTAL 615 58850 9650 4250 41250 116350 97450
AVERAGE 56 5350 877 386 3750 10577 34.3 8859 10 11.2 2.5
‡ Stocking rate, expressed per hectare, i.e., the total number of sheep x number of months grazed, divided by land area.
† Assessed using a scale of 1-5, where 1 = lowest level of degradation and 5 = highest.