Arid rangeland production systems of Southern Africa

Palmer, A.R. and Ainslie, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7549-7643 (2006) Arid rangeland production systems of Southern Africa. Secheresse, 17 (1&2). pp. 98-104. ISSN 1777-5922

Abstract/Summary

This paper analyses and describes the semi-arid rangelands of southern Africa. These rangelands are found in the grassland, savanna and thicket biomes and comprise all the remaining land which does not support commercial rainfed agriculture, in extent some 778221 km2 (66% of South Africa). Although production is primarily driven by rainfall, rangeland management systems have been developed to cope with the uncertain climate and to ameliorate the impact of inter-annual variation in production. We describe the rangeland types that occur, provide an insight into their management and examine some constraints on livestock production which the socio-economic environment presents. We describe the grazing management systems which apply under the two land tenure systems, namely freehold and leasehold tenure, and discuss how each of these systems effects livestock production, management and resource condition.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/34871
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of International Development
Publisher	John Libbey Eurotext
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