Local Expansion of Land Under Cultivation

In areas where communal grazing areas occur togther with mixed farming, the reclamation or clearance of new land for crop cultivation is still common. Wood is harvested and burning is used as a tool to reduce tree and shrub cover and as an attempt to enhance pasture production in quantity and quality. Step by step the better parts of the land are used for crop cultivation for a number of years. Land sub marginal for crop cultivation is maintained as pasture. | Environmental Assessment: Pressure State Response Indicators Policy Pressures and Policy Options Technology Options

Within these systems, soil fertility normally declines during the period of cultivation. Manure from the conversion of crop residues and manure that is brought on the land by animals grazing the former communal pastures is not sufficient to sustain crop production for long (livestock / crop land ratio). After a number of years of cultivation the land is left under fallow and used for grazing once vegetation has to some extent regenerated.

Within this land use system four different types of fodder resources for livestock can be distinguished, in decreasing order of quality:

- Tree- shrub - grass vegetation on new land in the early stage of reclamation for crop cultivation (high quality pastures, limited areas for limited period, soil fertility is still high)
- Grass (shrub – tree) vegetation on reclaimed land that is sub marginal for crop cultivation. The reasons for being sub marginal can be varied and also the potential to sustain permanent grazing. Important factors include: hill slopes, flood plains, soil fertility and composition.
- Crop residues from land under cultivation (generally poor quality fodder of limited quantity)
- Fallow vegetation on areas abandoned after a period of cultivation (poor density of fodder, poor soil fertility).

Consequently the availability of feed for livestock and the possible contribution of livestock to land degradation is different in each of these stages of exploitation.

Stage of exploitation | Production Potential | Kind of Feed & Feed quality | Feed availability | Risk of declining production potential through livestock
Reclamation of land with a potential for crop cultivation | High, gradually being prepared for crop cultivation. | Pastures good quality | Temporary - availability increases till land is used for crop cultivation. | Low
Reclaimed land sub marginal for crop cultivation | Poor or high but seasonal | Pastures Good to moderate quality | Permanent or seasonal | High on poor soils and hill slopes; Low on flood plains
Land under cultivation | Rapidly Declining | Crop residues, Moderate to poor quality | Temporary Seasonal | Low
Land under fallow | Low, gradually increasing | Pastures Moderate to poor quality | Temporary Low density Declining | Variable

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