scholarly journals Small Ruminants Grazing as a Rehabilitative Land Management Tool in the Negev Highland; Soil, Geomorphological and Topographical Perspectives

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1730
Author(s):  
Amir Mor-Mussery ◽  
Hiam Abu-Glion ◽  
Shimshon Shuker ◽  
Eli Zaady
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Vegetation Growth ◽  
Land Management Practice ◽  
Seasonal Flood ◽  
Vegetation Expansion

The ‘wadis’ (ephemeral incised channels in arid regions) concern badlands with low agriculture utilisation that expands to neighbouring cultivated areas. They are noticeable and unique landforms characterised by vegetation patches and seasonal flood flows with scenic beauty that must be conserved. The wadi characteristics have influenced the way of life of their indigenous residents from ancient times until now. The main one is grazing with small ruminants (SR). The authorities and public consider grazing in these areas as a destructive land management practice that should be reduced. To assess the viability of grazing in such regions, we hypothesised that fluvial and biological flows tightly correlate with the wadis’ landforms, channels and slopes. The site of study is located in the Yeroham mountains nearby the Rahma planned Bedouin village. Five different transects of channels and slopes were located over representative wadis, including those exposed to grazing. The finding indicates that a herbaceous vegetation expansion uphill was observed only in grazed transects, while the wadi slope patterns affect its patterns. It contains an increased soil water content (from a similar value of 5% until 13% change in the grazed transect), 1.5% higher soil organic matter, 0.08 mg Kg−1 higher Nitrite content and 1–2% higher clay content in the grazed transects, up to 4 m ahead from the channel. The novelty of this finding suggested that the SR influences the organic matter to reach the wadi channel and facilitate the adherence of aggregated clay and the formed colluvial layer that serves as a substrate to the expanded vegetation growth. Adequate implementation of these grazing patterns may rehabilitate degraded ‘wadis’ and increase their tourism eligibility.

scholarly journals Economic Versus Social Values in Land and Property Management: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (5) ◽  
pp. 381-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Timo de Vries ◽  
Winrich Voß
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Value Systems ◽  
Value System ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Land Management Practice ◽  
The Common ◽  
Effects Of Land Use ◽  
Two Sides

Abstract This article reviews and analyses how and why land-management practice draws on two contrasting value systems: economic and social. Land managers are at the crossroads of different value systems, which both overlap and contrast. The aim of this article is to provide an understanding of which aspects are crucial in each of the value systems, and to provide a basis for how and where the value systems can be connected and where they are contradictory. This is undertaken using an exploratory qualitative and descriptive comparison, which contrasts the epistemic logics of the value systems, the manner in which each system makes use of different scales, and the way in which decisions are made with each value system. Such an understanding is crucial to improve coherence in designing and predicting the future effects of land-management interventions. Currently, practitioners tend to design interventions based on single value systems, rather than on combining or integrating value systems. The discursive comparison provides the initial steps towards a more coherent understanding of the common ground and the missing links in value logics applied in land management. These results are relevant to provide better descriptions and predictions of the effects of land-use interventions and develop improved transdisciplinary models to predict changes and development in the utilization of land or property.

scholarly journals The Rothamsted long-term experiments: Are they still relevant?

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Poulton
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Global Change ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Atmospheric Pollution ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Land Management Practice ◽  
Long Term Experiments

Maintaining soil fertility and sustaining or increasing crop yield is of worldwide importance. Many factors impact upon the complex biological, chemical and physical processes which govern soil fertility. Changes in fertility caused by acidification, declining levels of organic matter, or P and K status may take many years to appear. These properties can in turn be affected by external influences such as atmospheric pollution, global change, or changes in land management practice. Long-term experiments provide the best practical means of studying changes in soil properties and processes and providing information for farmers, scientists and policy makers. This paper shows how the experiments run at Rothamsted in southeast England continue to provide data which are highly relevant to today's agriculture and wider environmental concerns. Examples are given of how crop yield is affected by soil organic matter, by pests and disease and by P nutrition. The effect of atmospheric pollution on soil acidity and the mobilization of heavy metals are also examined. The need for making better use of existing long-term experiments is stressed. Key words: Soil fertility, sustainability, long-term experiments, global change

scholarly journals Analysis of Environmental Factors Determining the Adoption of Land Management Practices in Guinea Savanna Agro-Ecological Zone of Kaduna Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

2020 ◽  
pp. 18-28
Author(s):  
T. A. Awobona ◽  
J. O. Adedapo ◽  
J. O. Emmanuel ◽  
O. Osunsina ◽  
J. A. Ogunsanwo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Principal Component Analysis ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Component Analysis ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
Farm Productivity ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Land Management Practice

This study analyzed the various determinants of land management practices in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State and determined most sustainable practice(s), with the specific focus on: Socio-economic characteristics of farmers; types of land management practices in relation to the determinant factors; effects of land management practices on the farm productivity; determine the most sustainable land management practice in the study area. A purposive sampling technique was adopted in collecting data from three hundred and eighty (380) rural farmers with structured questionnaires administered in Buruku, Chikun Local Government area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Five land management practices showed positive effects on the farm productivity as compared to the mean of 3 points; these were cover crop, crop rotation, irrigation, organic manure and fertilizer application. Two land management practices as perceived to have good effects on farm productivity of respondents were agro-forestry and bush fallow as shown in the component one of the result of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). It was concluded that the farming population was ageing and was adversely affected the choice of best practices due to lack of education and knowledge to adopt the best land management practice. Sustainable land management practices has the potential to reverse the trend of food scarcity and environmental disasters, help to improve local livelihoods, restore natural ecosystems and also contribute significantly to climate change adaptation and mitigation. There is clear evidence that the productivity of soils in Buruku Village will continue to decline if strategic measures are not put in place to manage soil fertility in different soil units to support agricultural land.

Fire and carbon management in a diversified rangelands economy: research, policy and implementation challenges for northern Australia

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dionne Walsh ◽  
Jeremy Russell-Smith ◽  
Robyn Cowley
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Complete Removal ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Northern Australia

Burning of savanna is a globally important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In Australia, burning of savanna contributes between 2% and 4% annually of the nation’s reportable emissions. Complete removal of this source of emissions is unrealistic because fire is a ubiquitous natural process and important land-management tool. In the rangelands of northern Australia, fire is used to manage habitat for conservation, control woodland thickening, manipulate pastures for grazing and is an essential component of indigenous cultural and land-management practice. There has been a concerted attempt in recent times to move away from complete fire suppression and its consequence: frequent, extensive and high intensity wildfires occurring late in the dry season. In fire-adapted vegetation types, prescribed early dry season fires help reduce the incidence of late season wildfires and consequently the amount of GHG emissions produced. The emergence of a carbon economy affords a potential opportunity for land managers to diversify their livelihoods by adopting fire-management practices that reduce GHG emissions and increase carbon sequestration. However, in order to realise benefits from this emerging economy, there is a need to identify and address a range of barriers affecting community participation. The papers in this Special Issue document current scientific knowledge, policy issues and pathways to participation, with particular reference to Australia’s savanna rangelands. This introductory paper outlines how northern Australia has both the opportunity and requirement to develop a diversified rangelands economy to realise multiple conservation, economic and emissions outcomes.

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