Grasslands of the World.pdf - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

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Grasslands of the world
there may be some seasonal movement – they usually have little access to crop
residues . In West Africa , however, pastoral groups are transhumant , moving
between the desert edge and the forest fringe ; they frequently have access to
crop residues. Browse is important in dry-season feeding although this is not
dealt with in detail in the African chapters. Water is often scarce during the
dry season and in traditional systems it may be as important as feed. Fodder
conservation is not part of the feeding strategies of these pastoralists.
Crop residues , however, are important in many traditional grassland systems
, especially in agropastoral systems; they are also widely used (with or
without treatment) in many commercial systems and feedlots. Hay and straw
conservation and use is discussed in another publication in this series (Suttie,
2000) and silage making in the tropics by t’Mannetje (2000).
Lean-season strategies in cold areas depend partly on whether the winters
are dry or not, and on the depth of snow cover. In areas of summer precipitation
, such as Mongolia , the grasslands of northern China and the Tibet -Qinghai
plateau, livestock can graze throughout the winter , although unusual weather
events can cause severe losses. The herding strategy is to get stock into the best
possible condition during summer and autumn so that they can survive the
winter. Transhumance between three or four seasonal pastures is still practised
in Mongolia; the winter pastures are the key to the annual system; mobility
gives herders some opportunity to escape adverse weather events. Seasonal destocking,
which includes both sale of excess stock and slaughter and freezing of
the stock that will be consumed domestically before the spring thaw, reduces
Plate 12.5
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa ) hay being collected for winter feeding of stock in Altai
Prefecture, Xinjiang , China .
J.M. SUTTIE