Mixed Systems based on Communal Grazing

Mixed farming communal grazing systems are defined as systems where communal grazing areas are the principal feed resource base for livestock, crop residues are grazed and where animals are kept at night on the farm.

The system is mainly found in areas with a low population density in semi-arid sub-humid and mountain areas. It refers to:

- sedentarised pastoralists also growing crops; and
- crop farmers also keeping livestock

Sedentarised pastoralists growing crops are by profession livestock farmers. In general they grow crops to avoid that livestock has to be sold to cover food requirements. Despite the availability of manure crop harvest can be poor, due to poor practices, poor rainfall and / or cultivation on poor soils. However, the " livestock saving" value of what is harvested can be several times more than the market value of the crop. Crop type may be different from that grown by crop farmers. Their aim is to (re)posses livestock as their main asset (security fund) and source of income.
Animals are well looked after. Principal production objectives are reproduction in order to get animals for sale and to increase herd size. Milk is important for home consumption and sale.

Crop farmers keeping livestock are by profession crop farmers. Those referred to under this sub system are farmers who keep livestock in the first place as a saving account for surplus income from crop cultivation and / or other activities. Livestock is kept in village / family herds grazing communal areas. In addition livestock can be used to provide draught power and / or to transfer plant nutrients from crop fields and communal areas to the farm.

Livestock units are often composed changing mixtures of small ruminants (sheep and goats) and / or large ruminants (cattle or camels).

The principal negative environmental aspect of the system is its potential contribution to overexploitation of communal resources.
The principal positive environment aspect of the system is its potential contribution to sustainable crop cultivation.
In addition it should be noted that this sub system harbours a large share of the worlds genetic bio diversity of domesticated species: poultry, goats, sheep, cattle, buffalo, camels, donkeys, horses, yaks, llama’s, alpaca and other rare species.

Along with population increase and area under cultivation there is an increasing demand for livestock and this system. However, as farmers applying this system have increasingly to compete for the same communal resources with those from the grazing system an increasing number is going over to other mixed farming systems: crop residues, cut and carry, feed from farm, use of external feed. In respect of the exploitation of communal areas, not only livestock farmers but also other users should be encouraged to improve local management of communal resources.

Together with farmers from the grazing system and other mixed farming systems they may make use of same communal resources (pastures and water sources). In general there is a decrease in availability of these resources while there is still an increase in livestock numbers. Consequently the potential of the mixed farming communal grazing system to produce more animal products for an increasing urban demand is very limited and can even be decreasing.

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