Combined herding for planned grazing

The daily combining of livestock from all households into a single herd, which are moved to different designated portions of the communal grazing area, and allows grass to recover before being re-grazed some months later. The technology aims to replace continuous, open grazing with a planned system to prepare the soil and grass for the forthcoming rainy season, and is particularly effective in areas with no fences and high incidence of stock theft and predator losses.

Fixed stocking rates based on carrying capacities are replaced by flexible stocking rates which track availability of forage. Two grazing plans are developed for one year; one when perennial grasses are growing and the other when they are dormant, but plans may change and must take into account the factors that affect livestock performance and the capacity of the livestock owner.

Note: For this SLM technology case, the SPI report on Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change refers to: Tinoziva, H., et al. 2013. Influence of Communal Area Grazing Management System on the Nutritive Value of Forages Selected by Cattle in a Semi-Arid area of Zimbabwe. Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 3 (9), 663-668.