PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH

1. Rangelands and the veld

The basic resource, veld, is still not utilised to best effect on a sustainable basis.

Although veld management systems remain controversial, the focus on veld management should be restored. Sufficient data and experience has now accumulated to be collated and put into practice:

• Consider different veld types e.g. Highveld (sour), lowveld (sweet), mixed veld, topland, wetlands (vleis and dambos)
• Evaluate veld management systems in relation to veld vitality and sustainability and animal health and productivity
• Re-assess veld evaluation procedures (e.g. use of oesophageal fistulated cattle, species balance). This will lead to more efficient utilisation and supplementation procedures
• Consider animal species and type. Assess contributions from natural browse

Proposals:

• Produce basic practical handbooks on veld management for large scale and small scale (communal) farmers. Add appendices which are appropriate for different countries and areas in the region.
• For small scale communal farmers develop training courses for extension staff and farmers
• Use demonstration plots in communal areas
• Disseminate information through carefully planned workshops and discussion groups, and via the media.
• Make individual farmers within an area/community responsible for conservation of the natural resource. Provide active support from the formal agricultural sector.

2. Dry season supplementation

Once a sound knowledge of veld management is established, it is a natural progression for a farmer to supplementary feed.
Uptake of supplementary feeding techniques has been very good amongst commercial farmers.
Although there is interest amongst small scale/communal farmers, uptake has been poor. Cost and availability of inputs (e.g. urea) are a major constraint.

Proposals:

• Need to motivate small scale farmers by demonstrating the benefits of supplementation. On farm field days and demonstrations, improving motivation by indicating the increased returns on investment.
• Organisation of workshops to stimulate regional cross-pollination of ideas on supplementation in different veld management situations
• A research project aimed at fine tuning of supplementation techniques based on more effective veld evaluation procedures and defining specific deficiencies.

3. Use of crop residues

The critical importance of the use of crop residues as a dry season resource for animals is accepted at both commercial and communal levels.

Proposals:

• Development work is required to improve harvesting and storage of crop residues, especially at communal level, so that they can be used at the most effective time in a managed feeding programme.
• Further research and development on treatment of crop residues to improve quality and intake. For the small scale sector, emphasis should be on least-cost storage and treatment techniques.

4. Tree legumes

Although a relatively new approach, advances in selection, management, treatment and use of browse legumes and forage tree legumes have been made. Clearly there is tremendous potential for improving knowledge in this area in order to provide for sound future development.

Proposals:

• A project to assess the impact of introductions on the environment and the ecology of wildlife
• Research aimed at further understanding the action of tannins, their identification, interaction and effect on animal intake, health and productivity.
• Further evaluation of suitable species for different agro-ecological areas also involving the most effective management systems for forage tree legumes
• Research work on digestive modifiers aimed at minimising protein precipitation while protecting the beneficial effects of tannins.
• Assessing the effects of feeding browse legumes conserved as dry leaf meal or in silage.

5. Forage production and conservation for dry season feeding

With the steady decrease in the area of effective rangelands in the region, conservation of forage for use in the dry season becomes increasingly important. Moreover, by providing sufficient forage for zero-grazing systems it allows for improved rest periods for rangelands, thereby helping to prevent overgrazing and subsequent degradation. Significant advances have already been made in both forage production and conservation.

Proposals:

• Development systems for high quality forage production on small arable areas especially in the semi-arid regions
• Continuing to improve silage making techniques, particularly for the small-scale farmer but also at commercial level.
• Research into ensilage of different crops, mixed crops, natural pastures, by-products, production of total mixed rations in a bag
• Research and development into improved management, harvesting and storage of dryland forages
• Investigation into the use and role of agro-forestry products in conserved forages
• Planned integration of forage banks into rangeland management systems

6. Wildlife management with particular reference to integrated management with domestic livestock.

There is relatively little knowledge on wildlife in the game farming context.

Proposals:

• Basic studies to improve understanding of the nutritional requirements, health, conditions for optimum reproduction and behavioral stressors in game animals
• Develop systems for integration of several species with domestic livestock, including measuring the impact on rangelands

7. Climatic effects

Research has shown that satellite imaging and database production can be used to project the production of dry season resources for the animal. This involves not only total biomass production but the probability of patterns of rainfall and vegetative growth during the growing season.

Proposals:

• A project to expand and develop this technology for the region. This would involve developing databases in different areas. Iterative work would be required to test the robustness of the system in different situations. From there, work could be concentrated on improving the accuracy of prediction so that tools could be developed for planning animal and rangeland management for the next season.

8. Drought management

It was agreed that droughts are inevitable in the region. A major problem in coping with droughts is the delayed reaction. As far as possible, drought strategies must involve an early reaction.

Proposal:

• A number of positive ideas came out of the workshop. These included definition of the types of drought to be encountered, predictive methods, and both short and long term measures for dealing with drought situations. It is suggested that collation of this information into a drought strategy handbook would prove of value to farmers and extension staff at all levels

9. Breeding indigenous animals

Some advances have been made in breeding for productivity in indigenous animals.

Proposal:

New research, or support for current research, is required to further our understanding of the impact of selection for production traits on the special adaptive traits of indigenous animals (i.e. survival in harsh environments). This needs to be integrated with production responses to improved dry season nutrition.

10. Uptake of technology and methods by communal farmers

A major these throughout the workshop was that although uptake of new technology by commercial farmers was reasonable, in communal areas it was very poor. In addition, several systems had been tried and failed, e.g. grazing management, pasture improvement, controlled stocking etc.

Proposals:

• A high priority adaptive research/development project to consider ways and means of overcoming the problem. Aspects to be included:
  • Client driven and participatory research on farm
  • Developing systems that will be accepted
  • New methods of training farmers and extension workers
  • Development of extension packages and dissemination of information.
  • Strengthening research/extension linkages.

  • Ways and means of improving motivation

• The best uptake of technology by communal/small scale farmers would appear to have occurred when there is an immediate cash return (e.g. in Zimbabwe, smallholder dairies selling milk, pen-finished beef and income from campfire).

It is suggested that a project worth developing would be the idea of selling ‘indigenous beef’ into a niche market at a premium price. This would be based on quality (information available), taste and being ‘organically -reared’. Promotion and marketing would be required for selling into the hotel and tourist industries and possibly for export.