Rangelands, Drylands & Pastoralism

Biophysical models are key to inform management activities that can restore degraded soils and ultimately improve biomass production and soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. Within East Africa several studies have been conducted to evaluate models in annual cropping systems, and to quantify the impacts of different agronomic management options on soil organic carbon and yields.

This study analyses the impact of high-quality nutritional grasses in feeding on beef cattle in farms from Córdoba Department, Colombia. The low productivity and high environmental impact associated with beef farming in the region make it necessary to implement sustainable intensification strategies that increase animal yield and mitigate climate change.

The Orinoquia region in Colombia is home to diverse ecosystems, including forests and various agroecological zones, but extensive cattle ranching poses a significant challenge as it contributes to deforestation and threatens the region's valuable forest resources.

Leucaena diversifolia (Ld) is a legume species that has received little attention in terms of its nutritive value, methane (CH4) emissions, and impact on meat quality. To address this gap, a study was conducted to compare the performance, CH4 emissions, and fatty acid content of steers grazing on a monoculture of tropical grass Urochloa hybrid cv. Cayman versus a combination of Cayman and Ld.

Pastoralist tenure systems are highly complex. Where customary institutions are functioning well, pastoralist women access and use resources as a member of a pastoralist group. Although policy and legislation call for more equity across societies, providing individual titles to women is not necessarily the answer.

We studied spatial patterns of kinship in the offspring of the endangered Lodoicea maldivica, a dioecious palm that produces the largest seed of any plant. Previous research has suggested that restricted seed and pollen dispersal in populations resulted in strong spatial genetic structure.

The study aims at assessing the production systems and identifying the traits preferred by farmers in the study areas to establish community-based breeding and sustainable utilization programs. The study was conducted in the four purposively selected districts of North Shoa and South Wello zones of Amhara region (Merehabete, Wereillu, Moretena Jiru and Mojaena Wedera).

Oral presentation on “Sociotechnical innovations for leveraging systems transformation, water management and food security under climate change: concepts and illustrations in the dry areas” – delivered on September 12th.