1: Arable lands
The aim of work package 1 is to analyse and develop the arable - ruminant livestock interface of smallholder and commercial farms along a climatic gradient in Limpopo. This aims to overcome regular fodder shortages (gaps), to improve on-farm fodder resources, and to diversify farm management. On-farm investigations and in-depth on-station field experimentation will be combined to assess the spatio-temporal variability of available feed resources and to explore the potential of cover and neglected forage crops to sustain on-farm ruminant livestock production.
The on-farm research will be comprised of a soil fertility assessment and production potential of the arable land in the 15 target villages. Methodologies include extensive farm surveying, field trials and crop and farming systems modelling. The research within work package 1 will be done in close co-operation with work package 4 (household surveys) and work packages 2 and 3 (assessment of ecosystem services of the different land-use types). The data will feed into an integrative analysis of (work package 7).
1st Annual Meeting 2019
At the 1st Annual Meeting from September 9 to 13 2019 the different SALLnet working groups presented their progress reports and drew preliminary conclusions about their research.WP 1 - Feed quality and availability on smallholder/semi-commercial farms in Limpopo
By Leonhard Klinck, Johannes Isselstein, Kingsley Ayisi, Jude Odhiambo & Sala Lamega
Livestock is grazing on rangeland soils which are rather low in basic nutrient supply (Limpopo province, South Africa).