Perceptions of Beef Cattle Producers and Scientists Relating to Sustainable Land Use Issues and Their Implications for Technology Transfer.

1994 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 238 ◽  
Author(s):  
ND Macleod ◽  
JA Taylor

Selected results are presented for two sub-groups drawn from a postal survey of perceptions of sustainable grazing management issues in the beef cattle-grazed rangelands of Queensland. The sub- groups include beef cattle producers and research scientists, both of which are key stakeholders for effective technology transfer from R&D projects that address sustainable grazing land management problems. Some important similarities and differences are highlighted between the sub-groups which are believed potentially to impact on the design and operation of R&D projects, the principal aim of which is to improve sustainable management practices. These relate to land use objectives and perceived sustainability of current grazing practices, and to the feasibility of rectifying present land degradation problems. Similarities are evident in the high proportions of both groups which do not believe that present practices are sustainable and with the same perceptions about the principal causes of grazing land degradation and the feasibility of rectifying present land degradation problems. Major differences relate to the perceived management objectives of beef producers, the scale at which land degradation problems occur, and the key sources of information or knowledge on which sustainable grazing systems might be developed.

SOIL ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Zornoza ◽  
J. A. Acosta ◽  
F. Bastida ◽  
S. G. Domínguez ◽  
D. M. Toledo ◽  
...  

Abstract. Soil quality (SQ) assessment has long been a challenging issue, since soils present high variability in properties and functions. This paper aims to increase the understanding of SQ through the review of SQ assessments in different scenarios providing evidence about the interrelationship between SQ, land use and human health. There is a general consensus that there is a need to develop methods to assess and monitor SQ for assuring sustainable land use with no prejudicial effects on human health. This review points out the importance of adopting indicators of different nature (physical, chemical and biological) to achieve a holistic image of SQ. Most authors use single indicators to assess SQ and its relationship with land uses – soil organic carbon and pH being the most used indicators. The use of nitrogen and nutrient content has resulted sensitive for agricultural and forest systems, together with physical properties such as texture, bulk density, available water and aggregate stability. These physical indicators have also been widely used to assess SQ after land use changes. The use of biological indicators is less generalized, with microbial biomass and enzyme activities being the most selected indicators. Although most authors assess SQ using independent indicators, it is preferable to combine some of them into models to create a soil quality index (SQI), since it provides integrated information about soil processes and functioning. The majority of revised articles used the same methodology to establish an SQI, based on scoring and weighting of different soil indicators, selected by means of multivariate analyses. The use of multiple linear regressions has been successfully used for forest land use. Urban soil quality has been poorly assessed, with a lack of adoption of SQIs. In addition, SQ assessments where human health indicators or exposure pathways are incorporated are practically inexistent. Thus, further efforts should be carried out to establish new methodologies to assess soil quality not only in terms of sustainability, productivity and ecosystem quality but also human health. Additionally, new challenges arise with the use and integration of stable isotopic, genomic, proteomic and spectroscopic data into SQIs.


Biologia ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumbangan Baja ◽  
Muhamad Ramli ◽  
Syamsul Lias

AbstractSoil erosion by water is considered as one of the most significant forms of land degradation that affects sustained productivity of agricultural land use and water quality. It is influenced by a considerable number of factors (including climate, soil, topography, land use and types of land management), so that the information on the spatial distribution of soil erosion rate and its related effects can be effectively employed as a baseline data for land use development and water protection. The principal aim of this study is three-fold: (i) to map existing land use; (ii) to assess and map the spatial distribution of average annual rate of soil losses in the study area; (iii) to evaluate spatial matching between existing and proposed land use including a distance analysis from the water body (the Bili-Bili Dam). An analytical procedures used, respectively, include supervised classification of satellite imagery, application of RUSLE (Revised USLE), and overlay analysis in a raster GIS environment, utilising available information in the region covering some parts of Jeneberang catchment, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The results suggest that the outputs of this study can be used for the identification of land units on a cell-basis with different land use types, rate of soil loss, inconsistency between proposed and planned land use, as well as the threat of land degradation to the main river and the dam. The analytical procedures developed in this research may be useful in other areas, particularly in the studies related to the assessment and mapping of land use and erosion for the importance of sustainable land use at a relatively large area.


Author(s):  
Masila Samson Muloo ◽  
Kauti Matheaus Kioko ◽  
Kimiti Jacinta M.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of land degradation on agricultural land use, planning and management in Kalama Division, Machakos County; and specifically determined farmers’ considerations of land suitability for selected types of agricultural land uses in varying cropping zones, investigated farmers’ local environmental knowledge of land degradation indicators and finally documented farmers’ land management strategies and practices for soil and water conservation. Data was collected using a questionnaire, along a road transect cutting across upper, middle and lower zones (parts) of a slope. A total of 40 households along the transect on the three zones were interviewed. Results obtained revealed that crop farming, livestock, poultry, farm forestry and bee keeping were the major agricultural land use activities carried out in the study area. Overall, steep slope was the most important factor considered for farm forestry (17%) (5.29 STDEV). Bee farming was the least land use practice accounting for only 1% of total land use. Most land degradation (15%) was reported in the middle zone while lowest land degradation (7%) was reported in the upper zone. The study found out that most households were aware of land degradation indicators in their local environment and described them using their indigenous environmental knowledge. The smallholder farmers prevented further land degradation by use of their local or traditional ways such as application of organic manure, planting of trees, crop rotation, use of gabions and stone lines. Different zones had different land use and management practices due to differences in terrain and other physical and biophysical characteristics. Overall, the major land management practices included tree planting (23%) (4.04 STDEV) and water conservation and gabion making (10%) (2.52 STDEV). This study clearly established an existence of smallholder farmers’ indigenous knowledge, perceptions, and beliefs of the local environmental factors of land condition which are necessary for the farmer’s decision-making on land use planning and management. On the basis of these findings, the study argues for place-based analysis and understanding of the landscape structure and local micro-environments in enhancing understanding of local-level decision-making on land use planning and management by smallholder farmers in maintaining livelihood security. Even though the study is limited to the local scope, it can provide a basis for designing policies aimed at rural livelihood security improvement and inform and facilitate targeting of outside interventions such as land use planning and management programs which can be built on existing indigenous knowledge.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.P. Chauhan ◽  
K.R. Pande ◽  
S. Thakur

Field experiments were conducted in acidic soils of Mangalpur and Fulbari VDCs in western Chitwan, Nepal to study the effects of different land use systems on soil properties. Seven land use systems (cereal based lowland, cereal based upland, vegetable farm land, fruit orchard land, pasture land, forest land and farmer’s field) were used and they were replicated four times in randomized complete block designs. Composite soil samples were collected from each study sites and were analyzed in laboratory for soil physicochemical properties. The data obtained were analyzed using MSTAT-C. Soil properties were significantly affected by land use systems in western Chitwan condition. Soil organic matter and total soil nitrogen were significantly higher from pasture land (4.69 % and 0.23 %) and the lowest were from farmer’s field (2.40 % and 0.08 %). However, available soil phosphorous content was significantly higher from cereal based upland (448.3 kg ha-1) and it was the lowest from forest land (13.0 kg ha-1). Soil bulk density and pH were not significantly affected by land use systems. Since land use systems and management practices significantly affect soil physical and chemical properties, an appropriate and sustainable land use management option is necessary for fertile and healthy soil. Conservation tillage with the addition of sufficient organic inputs can be suggested based on this study to maintain soil health for sustained production and optimum activity of soil organisms under the western Chitwan land use systems. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i3.10660  DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i3.10660 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 2(3): 265-269  


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yared Mulat ◽  
Kibebew Kibret ◽  
Bobe Bedadi ◽  
Muktar Mohammed

Abstract Background Soil quality, which can be inferred using indicators that interact synergistically, is affected by land use types and agricultural management practices. This study assessed the status of soil quality under three adjacent land uses (cultivated, grazing, and fallow) in Kersa subwatershed (622 ha). Soil samples were collected from the surface soil (0–20 cm depth) of the identified land uses with three replications and the soil quality parameters were analyzed. A minimum data set of soil quality indicators were selected from physical, chemical, and biological parameters using the literature review and expert opinion method. Linear scoring functions were used to give the unitless scores for the selected data sets, which were then integrated into a soil quality index (SQI). Results The results revealed that bulk density, aggregate stability, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), available P, and soil organic carbon (SOC) had a significant difference in SQI among the different land uses. The soil quality indices were 0.69 for grazing land, 0.62 for cultivated land, and 0.59 for the fallow land. The SQI of all the land uses falls in the intermediate soil quality (0.55 < SQI < 0.70) class. Conclusion In almost all the quality indicators assessed, the grazing land was superior to the cultivated and fallow lands. Therefore, implementing management practices that enhance soil quality like organic matter-controlled systems is imperative for sustainable agricultural production in the study area.


Author(s):  
Sylvia Kostovska ◽  

Information about the current state of territories makes it possible to trace ongoing degradation phenomena, caused by environmental transformation, and predict trends of further changes brought up by different reasons including shifts in climate parameters. Assessment of the neutral balance of land degradation (NBDZ), which is one of the criteria for sustainable land use, using the geosystem analysismethod, allows us to assess not only the actual state of natural and natural-anthropogenic landscapes, but also the speed of changes occurring in them, as well as the ability to preserve their main functions.


Author(s):  
G.S. KUST ◽  
◽  
O.V. ANDREEVA ◽  
V.A. LOBKOVSKIY ◽  
V.D. SLAVKO

A brief historical overview of approaches to study the problem of land use and land degradation in the MAB UNESCO program is provided. Over the past 50 years these issues remain important although the general strategic approach to their research and solving has changed from a multilateral study of land management and land degradation in different geographic and socio-economic conditions with an emphasis on natural diversity, to practices and approaches of sustainable land management in biosphere reserves, as reflected in MAB Strategy (2015-2025) and Lima Action Plan (2016-2025). Many of the MAB initiatives in the field of sustainable land management and combating land degradation have been further reflected and revised in different international programs and conventions. The development of these approaches and the integration of the MAB program with other modern activities can significantly increase the effectiveness of the results of Strategic Direction “A” of the Lima Action Plan on the use of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves as models for sustainable development. Five objectives are proposed for closer cooperation of the MAB program and its network of biosphere reserves with other international and national measures for promoting sustainable land management practices and combating land degradation: 1) using biosphere reserves as priority sites and observatories for comparative assessments of indicators of land degradation neutrality (LDN) for protected areas and adjacent territories in similar bioclimatic conditions; 2) use of data obtained through the series of observations in the territory of protected areas as the most important additional or alternative indicators and measures for the LDN interpretation; 3) biosphere reserves as models for selecting effective solutions reflecting the triad of adaptive actions to avoid degradation, reduce the rate of degradation and restore previously degraded lands; 4) achieving LDN on the territory of biosphere reserves through the implementation of the Aichi biodiversity targets; 5) the use of LDN as a criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of the activities of biosphere reserves. Preliminary results of the LDN assessment for Central Chernozem State Natural Biosphere Reserve and Middle Volga Integrated Biosphere Reserve and their adjacent territories provided to demonstrate the possibility of performing some of the objectives listed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yared Mulat Tefera ◽  
kibebew Kibret Tehaye ◽  
Bobe Bobe Bedadi ◽  
Muktar Mohammed Kedir

Abstract Background: Soil quality, which can be inferred using indicators that interact synergistically, is affected by land use types and agricultural management practices. This study assessed the status of soil quality under three adjacent land uses (cultivated, grazing, and fallow) in Kersa subwatershed (622 ha). Soil samples were collected from the surface soil (0-20 cm depth) of the identified land uses with three replications and the soil quality parameters were analyzed. A minimum data set of soil quality indicators were selected from physical, chemical, and biological parameters using the literature review and expert opinion method. Linear scoring functions were used to give the unitless scores for the selected data sets, which were then integrated into a soil quality index (SQI).Results: The results revealed that bulk density, aggregate stability, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), available P, and soil organic carbon (SOC) had a significant difference in SQI among the different land uses. The soil quality indices were 0.69 for grazing land, 0.62 for cultivated land, and 0.59 for the fallow land. The SQI of all the land uses falls in the intermediate soil quality (0.55 < SQI < 0.70) class.Conclusion: In almost all the quality indicators assessed, the grazing land was superior to the cultivated and fallow lands. Therefore, implementing management practices that enhance soil quality like organic matter-controlled systems is imperative for sustainable agricultural production in the study area.


Author(s):  
Paramesh Venkatesh ◽  
SURENDRA SINGH ◽  
Deepak Mohekar ◽  
Vadivel Arunachalam ◽  
Shiva Misra ◽  
...  

The evaluation of sustainable land management practices is imperative under particular soil type, climate, and cropping sequence following area-specific best management practices. The alternative land-use system (ALUS-natural forest, pasture, cashew, areca nut, coconut) on hills and agricultural land-use system (AGLUS-rice-rice, rice-pulse) in the coastal plains of west coast India was evaluated in this study. The present study assessed the impact of sustainable land-use management practices on different fractions of SOC and soil quality under ALUS and AGLUS. The total SOC stocks under different land-use systems varied from 14.4 Mg ha−1 in rice–rice rotations to 133.7 Mg ha−1 in cashew and more than 75% of total SOC stock were found as a passive carbon pool. The higher lability index, available nutrients, and biochemical properties were found in ALUS. This variation in the levels of SOC and soil quality was due to land use and management practices. The results indicated land use with areca nut (0.8) on the hills and rice–pulses (0.25) rotations on the coast had maintained soil quality of high order. On upscaling the different land-use systems by growing cashew, areca nut, coconut, pasture, and rice-pulses rotations, SOC stocks of Goa can increase from 6.33 Tg at present to 32 Tg. We recommend promoting sustainable agriculture with ALUS on the hills and with AGLUS on the coastal plains of Goa for enhancing SOC sequestration and improving soil quality.


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