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The adoption potential of alley farming as an agro-intervention system capable of providing fodder to small ruminant livestock in southern parts of Nigeria is evaluated in this paper. Data were collected from a total of 240 respondents through the use of structured questionnaire in some selected communities of the south-western (SW) and south-eastern (SE) parts of Nigeria where the agro-intervention had been introduced in the past. Data analysis showed that ownership of small ruminants is more popular among households in savannah zone than forest zone, and among current and former alley farmers than non-alley farmers with browse being the most preferred feed given to the livestock. The management indicators showed that the care of the animals is generally the responsibility of all family members. The data suggest that the introduction of alley farming to produce supplemental feed for livestock may not gain quick adoption in areas with local sources of browse notably in the forest zone. The paper then concluded that the introduction of alley farming to produce supplemental fodder may be an innovation more suited to livestock owners' needs in the mid-term future, rather than immediately.

In northwest Cambodia, the majority of smallholder households own livestock. Poor consistency in feed supply throughout the year is a major constraint to livestock performance. Another critical cha...

Climate change is disturbing the existing functional relations between socio-ecological systems in the Himalayan region of Nepal. In this paper, I look at the disturbance posed by climate change to the social and ecological dimensions, referencing the Himalayan herders as eye-witnesses. I focus on two thematic areas, that is, the challenges faced by the mountain herders in the context of climate change and their coping strategies. This paper is a product of nine months of ethnographic study between the years 2012 and 2018 conducted at the Nhāson valley. The herders' stories are “real stories” with insights into the climate variability and fluctuation, which is critically valuable to understand the environmental phenomena at a time when scientific evidence is not enough. In this context, an ethnographic study can contribute in documenting the place-specific and culture-specific stories as the powerful evidence to climate change and how it impacts the grounded social and ecological systems.

Pastoralism in Central Asia directed the utilization of natural resources, yet information on livestock management strategies remain scarce. Carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope analyses of domesticated sheep teeth are used to identify animal management strategies. Sheep from Kent exhibit an inverserelationship where low δ18O values coincide with high δ13C values, consistent with the foddering of caprines in the winter for this location which occursalongside evidence for an extended lambing season. At the high altitude encampment of Turgen, Bronze Age sheep exhibit low δ18O values that coincide withhigh δ13C values, suggesting that livestock were moved to low altitude pastures in the winter months. Iron Age sheep sequences also have an inverserelationship, where low δ18O values coincide with high δ13C values, yet high δ13C values in the winter suggest that livestock were foddered. Our findingsindicate variation in livestock management strategies with distinct adaptations to local ecologies.

Negative interactions between people and large carnivores are common and will probably increase as the human population and livestock production continue to expand. Livestock predation by wild carnivores can significantly affect the livelihoods of farmers, resulting in retaliatory killings and subsequent conflicts between local communities and conservationists. A better understanding of livestock predation patterns could help guide measures to improve both human relationships and coexistence with carnivores. Environmental variables can influence the intensity of livestock predation, are relatively easy to monitor, and could potentially provide a useful predictive framework for targeting mitigation. We chose lion predation of livestock as a model to test whether variations in environmental conditions trigger changes in predation. Analysing 6 years of incident reports for Pandamatenga village in Botswana, an area of high human–lion conflict, we used generalized linear models to show that significantly more attacks coincided with lower moonlight levels and temperatures, and attack severity increased significantly with extreme minimum temperatures. Furthermore, we found a delayed effect of rainfall: lower rainfall was followed by a significantly increased severity of attacks in the following month. Our results suggest that preventative measures, such as introducing deterrents or changing livestock management, could be implemented adaptively based on environmental conditions. This could be a starting point for investigating similar effects in other large carnivores, to reduce livestock attacks and work towards wider human–wildlife coexistence.

We examine the dynamics of gender relations in terms of changes in gender roles and access to resources under recurrent drought conditions in Borana, Southern Ethiopia, using data from household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and field observations. Results show that in traditional Borana society, roles are structured on the basis of gender and age groups with women responsible for activities in and around their dwellings whereas men are responsible for livestock management. However, changes in pastoral production due to recurrent droughts seem to be transforming the gender roles so that women’s workload, areas of decision-making, and income-earning opportunities have increased.

Microbial communities in pasture and hayfield soils in upstate New York were studied to ascertain how land and livestock management practices influence microbial community structure. Three manageme...

This paper examines the problem of food security in the Republic of Kazakhstan over the past 10 years. Based on statistical data, an assessment was made of the prevalence of malnutrition among the population of the country, including children under 5 years of age. There has been a trend towards for an improvement in the nutrition of the population for a few indicators, however, further optimization of food security indicators is required to achieve the goals of sustainable development (SDGs) of the FAO WHO Agenda for the period up to 2050 in Kazakhstan and in its individual regions. The paper reflects data on demographic changes over the past 10 years and its self-sufficiency in basic foods for 2019. A high degree of self-sufficiency in meat products (117.6%) is revealed in the population of the Republic of Kazakhstan. However, self-sufficiency in dairy products is at an extremely low level (0.1%). Camel breeding has been successfully developing in the country over the past 10 years. However, the number of camels in the country is still at a low level. Camel milk can be considered as a great source of macronutrients, its daily consumption partially facilitates the problem of Food Security in Kazakhstan.

International audience; Tick-borne diseases are a major human and animal health problem for Western countries, particularly in view of climate change. However, farmers' practices and knowledge of tick management remain poorly addressed. This paper examines this issue through a micro-local case study in a Corsican valley, France. Interviews using several methods were conducted with 17 ruminant or horse farmers. Despite considerable field experience, the farmers exhibit poor spatial and biological knowledge of ticks and related diseases, thus leading to a lack of appropriate management practices. However, the data collected show that these farmers could be an effective sentinel population. More efficient prevention could be developed locally through a hybridization of knowledge among farmers and scientists.

The Planet is home to many famed grasslands, which includes the Pampas, the Llanos, the Prairie, the Steppe, the Savannas, and the rangelands. The biome of grasslands, which is of various types, covers 40% of the Planet’s land surface. After depicting each of the world’s major grasslands, the present author explains two contributions of the grasslands to climate mitigation: carbon dioxide sinks by grasses, preservation of soil carbons. From an economic angle, the grasslands offer valuable resources for livestock management: pastures and forages. The global livestock production is expected to increase further in the coming decades as developing economies would grow with higher demands for meat, which has made climate activists worried about methane emissions from farm animals. This chapter clarifies three methane reduction technologies from livestock management: alternative livestock feeds, methane-eating microbes, a switch to non-ruminant animals. From a cultural perspective, the present author asks whether the humanity should become a vegetarian/vegan in order to reduce Planet-heating methane emissions.

Human behaviour often determines the success of conservation projects, and the emerging discipline of conservation psychology focuses on understanding and influencing this behaviour. Social norms (a group’s perception of the appropriateness of behaviours) are a key influence on human behaviour, and social norms campaigns can often engender population-wide behaviour changes. Human-predator conflict is a major conservation issue, and one in which human behaviour plays a substantial role: high standards of livestock management can considerably lower predation levels. In this paper, we use factor analysis to show that the livestock management normative belief structure of rural livestock owners is highly conserved between populations in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Through cluster analysis, we also show that qualitatively distinct attitudinal groups can be identified, and that some of these groups are common to both regions. Researchers often assume that social landscapes are unique, but we show that this is not the case for livestock management norms. People’s attitudes are also generally assumed to be site-specific, but we found commonalities across different regions, indicating that certain attitude sectors may be present in all livestock owning populations. If livestock management norms and attitude groups are indeed highly conserved between regions, it may be possible to develop standardised tools with which to understand the norms that influence livestock management behaviour, and identify population sectors for targeted interventions. Often, conservation projects have little in-house social science expertise, and social studies are avoided despite the benefits they bring. Here, we demonstrate that standardised approaches may be possible, and could aid the implementation – and success – of conservation interventions.

Agricultural grasslands provide vital habitats for many species. Yet despite representing a significant proportion of European land use, they are disproportionately understudied compared to arable systems. Increases in productivity and intensification have led to changes in management practices, which are likely to affect grassland habitats and the ecological communities that they support. This study simultaneously monitored three trophic levels to assess the impacts of permanent versus temporary pasture (leys) on vegetation composition, carabid and dung beetle abundance, and the activity of beetle-feeding bats. Leys had lower abundances of soil-inhabiting dung beetles, which may be explained by the more recent exposure to tilling compared with permanent pasture. Beetle-feeding bat activity was also greater in leys, with positive relationships between E. serotinus activity and Onthophagus abundance across both pasture types. However, the lack of any positive relationships between beetle-feeding bat activity and Aphodius, a well-known prey genus, suggests that other key prey orders (Lepidoptera) may be of more influence on bat activity. As well as the management of pasture, differences in cattle management between pasture types can have a significant impact on vegetation and soil structure, which influence invertebrate communities and potentially dictate habitat suitability for bats.

Introducción y objetivos: En el NO de Argentina se encuentran sistemas ganaderos de subsistencia con manejo extensivo del pastoreo a cargo de unidades familiares. Poseen características campesinas, pautas de manejo tradicionales de raigambre andina, acuerdos comunitarios y una estrategia de trashumancia en el uso de diferentes unidades ambientales. En este artículo se identifican las principales etnoespecies forrajeras involucradas, las categorías vernáculas utilizadas para su clasificación, las prácticas de manejo ganadero implementadas y las percepciones relacionadas al paisaje y sus recursos por parte de los campesinos trashumantes de Iruya (Salta). M&M: Se empleó metodología etnobiológica, para registrar las manifestaciones del sistema biocultural abordado desde la propia perspectiva de los actores. El análisis es cualitativo con aportes cuantitativos en la interpretación de los datos, este trabajo se llevó a cabo entre los años 2011-2018. Resultados: Se identificaron 81 etnoespecies entre silvestres y cultivadas, dos sistemas clasificatorios vernáculos (uno de manejo ganadero bovino y otros para el manejo de los recursos forrajeros). Se construyó un esquema de la disponibilidad de forraje en el ciclo anual, en base a las estrategias de suplementación de las unidades domésticas. Se observó un sistema de gestión de la ganadería con dos niveles de manejo, uno privado a cargo de las familias y otro a cargo de la organización comunitaria. Conclusiones: La ganadería como practica productiva de subsistencia, le brinda a esta sociedad la posibilidad de construir un profundo conocimiento del medio natural que influye en la interacción entre vegetales, animales y personas, que se hace operativo por medio de un sistema de gestión del ambiente.

A North American livestock industries are diverse and of high value, consisting of very different animals and industries: beef cattle are raised for calves, meat, and leather; dairy animals for milk and veal; swine for pork; poultry for eggs and meat; and sheep for meat and wool. R. C. Axtell classifies livestock production systems as pasture or range, outdoor confined, and indoor confined. Detailed descriptions of the biology, taxonomy, host range, and management of livestock pests are available and should be consulted before starting a sampling program. Thresholds for many parasites in livestock production systems remain to be studied. Techniques for sampling arthropods in livestock systems have been previously summarized. Various livestock pests have free-living stages or periods in their life cycle. A diversity of domestic animals and management systems constitute livestock industries in Canada and the US As in other agricultural sectors, a variety of sampling approaches have been used to achieve management and research objectives.

The main objective of this study was to investigate and analyse the farmers’ perceptions on criteria and indicators for sustainable management of indigenous agroforestry systems in Uttarakhand state of India. The present study was conducted to document the traditional knowledge and considered five broad categories including agriculture management, livestock management, forest sustainability, social benefits, and policy inputs along with 16 criteria and 34 indicators were identified. Traditional uses of 48 agroforestry species were documented along an altitudinal gradient from 800 to 1800 ​m above sea level (m asl). Perceptions and responses of 150 farmers of three village clusters located at different agroclimatic zones viz., Saknidhar, Jakhand and Dagar based on their demographic characteristics were documented towards the possible factors for deterioration and viable options for sustainable management of indigenous agroforestry systems. The results of the present study are valuable to local farmers and policy planners to examine the current policies and improved for sustainable energy supply in the Himalayan context through utilization of indigenous agroforestry species. The findings will help to refine and enrich the knowledge among the stakeholders to provide an effective framework for decisions and policy making to sustain and maintain agroforestry strength and services. Keywords: Agroforestry, Farmers’ perception, Traditional knowledge, Criteria and indicators, Himalaya

The response of biological communities to human disturbances depends on factors acting at local and regional scale and on the interaction between them. We compared the response of native forest dung beetle communities to cattle grazing under regional contexts differing on precipitation patterns (Atlantic forest and humid and dry Chaco). Through multivariate and GLMM analyses we contrasted richness and composition across regions and land uses and explored the role of local and regional variables accounting for those changes. We captured a total of 44101 individuals of 109 species. The interaction between local and regional variables influenced the response to livestock management. In the two wet regions (humid Chaco and Atlantic forest) diversity was similar in the native forest regardless of cattle presence but differs strongly in open pastures. In contrast, in the dry Chaco, differences between native forest and land use were not evident. Vegetation structure was a major determinant of species richness, whereas regional climate determined differences in species composition. We concluded that the response of dung beetles to livestock management cannot be generalized for all biomes. In dry ecosystems, dung beetles are probably pre-adapted to environmental conditions imposed by cattle ranching whereas in wet ecosystems the impact of cattle ranching is more significant. Fil: Guerra Alonso, Celeste Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina Fil: Zurita, Gustavo Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina Fil: Bellocq, Maria Isabel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Satellite images, repeated photography, temperature and precipitation data, and other proxy scientific evidences support the claim that climate is changing rapidly in Nepal, including in the Trans-Himalayan regions of the country. Climate change in the Trans-Himalayan region of Nepal is altering the existing relations of functional socio-ecological system for generations. This ethnographic assessment of Nhāson village looks at the disturbance posed by climate change to the social and ecological relationship in reference to livestock management practices. It focuses on two thematic areas of communities’ verbalisation of issues and challenges faced by the mountain herders in the climate change context. This paper is the product of ethnographic study between the years 2012 and 2014 in Nhāson. The locals’ attachment to environment and witnesses of change is capable of telling the story on the disturbance of climate change in the social and ecological systems, contextually. The stories gathered during walking, herding, travelling, watching and observing of the places are “real stories” with insights into the past climate variability and fluctuation which is critically valuable to understand the environmental phenomena at times when scientific evidences are not sufficient. Ethnographic study can contribute in documenting the place and cultural specific stories as a powerful evidence to climate change and its impact on grounded social and ecological systems.

Resumen: El objetivo del artículo consiste en describir las brechas de género en el acceso y uso de recursos productivos en Patagonia, dando cuenta de la propiedad y control de razas ovinas entre miembros de una misma unidad doméstica. El acceso diferencial al ganado entre varones y mujeres se estructura a partir de la producción de lanas finas para exportación y la fibra de ovinos criollos, como es la oveja Linca, utilizada por mujeres artesanas para la confección de textiles. De este modo, se visibiliza la diversidad de prácticas de manejo ganadero en el territorio, que responden a distintos intereses y se ven atravesadas por condicionamientos, producto de la relación con el Estado, el mercado y al interior de la familia.Abstract:The main objective of this article is to describe the gender gaps in the access and use of productive resources in Patagonia, analyzing the control and property of sheep breeds between members of the same domestic unit. The differential access to livestock between men and women is structured from the production of thin wool for export and creole sheep fiber, such as the Linca sheep, used by craftswomen to make textiles. In this way, the diversity of livestock management practices in the territory, which responds to different interests and they are traversed by constraints, product of the relationship with the State, the market and within the family, is made visible.

Livestock in generally considered one of the actors of theagricultural production. Rural women play an important roles inlivestock production and marketing in the rural economies of developingcountries as unpaid workers. They embark on various activities oflivestock management like feeding, cleaning, collecting manure fororganic fertilizer and milking. However, their involvement as decisionmakers regarding various livestock activities is still dubious. Hence thepresent study was carried out, with main objectives to investigate theinvolvement of rural women in the management of livestock activities,and to examine the role of rural women in taking decisions related tolivestock activities. A systematic random sample of 150 female wivesrespondents were selected from ELAbadia village, Damanhour district,El- Behira Governorate. Data were collected using interview guided bypre-tested interview questionnaire, and focus group discussions (FGDs)during November and December 2016. Data was analyzed usingStatistical Package of Social Science (SPSS). The results revealed thatrural women's involvement in livestock decision making activities wasrelatively high in activities like selling/ purchasing of egg, milkproducts, and selling/ purchasing of poultry. However, their involvementwas relatively low in activities like cultivation of fodder for livestock,and number of livestock to be kept. Age, education status, years ofwomen's livestock breeding experience, and household annual income,were the main socioeconomic factors which had affected theinvolvement of rural women in decision making process.

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data from the settlement of Marki Alonia provides new evidence for dietary patterns and aspects of livestock management during the Early and Middle Cypriot Bronze Age. Animal data indicate exploitation of a mainly C3 ecosystem and hint at the possibility that caprines and cattle were subjected to different herding practices; they currently constitute the sole available isotopic baseline for this region and time period. As for the few analysed humans, a primarily C3 terrestrial protein-based diet can be suggested.

The study of ancient herd-feeding systems is essential to investigate livestock management and the interactions of humans with domestic animals and past environments. This topic for historic periods has recently been investigated through dental microwear analyses. This approach, however, must be used with caution, as it is based on comparisons of established microwear patterns of modern wild animals. Here we present an experimental reference collection of dental microwear for domestic sheep (Ovis aries), created by a controlled-food trial to fill this methodological gap. Fifty sheep were split into five groups of ten, fed with four different types of vegetation potentially used by agropastoral societies (alfalfa, ray-grass, forage, and barley), and administrated following different techniques of processing (wet, dried and fresh). After being fed with a specific and controlled diet, the animals were slaughtered and the microwear patterns on the enamel surface of the lower molars were analysed via standard light stereomicroscopy. The differences found in our experiment between the different diets and processed plants have allowed us to characterize each dietary group and feeding management system. This information is extremely important to correctly interpret the archaeological record.

46 Pags.- 4 Figs. The definitive version is available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03418162, A key problem in explaining the mountain landscapes of the Mediterranean region is the relationship between the development of transhumance (seasonal movement of livestock over long distances) and deforestation of the subalpine and upper montane belts at 1350–2200 m above sea level (m a.s.l.). We examined this relationship in the Central Southern Pyrenees using information from multiple proxies—archaeology, pollen analysis, lacustrine sedimentation patterns, historical documents, and geomorphology. Although there is evidence of forest clearing since the Neolithic, and we can infer the presence of shepherds and livestock in mountain areas based on archaeological sites and pollen analysis in some lacustrine records, there is no strong evidence for transhumance between the Ebro Depression and the Pyrenees during the Prehistory. Instead, we found evidence of transterminance (seasonal movement of livestock over short distances) during this time. Growth of human populations and the establishment of large-scale markets favored longer livestock movements during the Roman period, although we only have indirect information on this for other areas of the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean region. A few documents indicate the occurrence of transhumance during the Early Middle Ages, whereas all other proxies indicate a general expansion of livestock and transhumance during the 12th and 13th centuries. This coincides with the Christian conquest of the Central Ebro Depression by the Aragon Kingdom, the organization of large wool markets in Western Europe, and the exemptions conferred by the kings of Aragon to herders in the city of Saragossa. This led to rapid deforestation, in that forests were rapidly logged or burned to expand the summer grasslands. During this period, written documents indicate many conflicts between people in the villages and valleys for control of summer grasslands, pollen analyses show a rapid decline of arboreal pollen, and geomorphology studies indicate greatly increased sedimentation rates following deforestation, suggesting intense erosion. Transhumance has declined since the end of the 18th century, and particularly throughout the 20th century, and this has led to tree re-colonization of less accessible and marginal areas. The hydrological and geomorphological consequences of these recent events are important topics for future studies., This research was supported by the ESPAS Project (CGL2015-65569-R) and the Gaps and Sites Project (HAR2017-85023-P), both funded by the MINECO-FEDER, and by the Research Group from the Aragon Government (H14_17R). R. Domingo is a Ramón y Cajal Research Fellow (RyC2013-12613, MINECO). P. Diarte-Blasco is an Atracción de Talento-CAM Research Fellow (2018-T1/HUM-10636).

International audience; In Western Europe, the transition from the middle Iron Age to theearly Roman period implied changesin livestock practices, withthe emergence of a specialized and selective animal husbandry. These changes have been related in Italy and south of France withchanges in livestock management involving their mobility between ecologically complementary areas. The study of this question inthe Iberian Peninsula has only been partiallyinvestigated through palaeoenvironmental analyses, and the information about theorigin and significance of this phenomenon is very scarce. To shed new light on this topic we used an archaeozoological approach,with the application of geometric morphometrics. They were used to study size and shape variability in sheep astragali from 9 sitesdating from the middle Iron Age to the early Roman period (5th c. BC–3rd c. AD) and located on the Pyrenees and on the north-eastern Iberian coast as a case study. The results we obtained, combined with Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) and kill-offpatterns, showed local specificities in terms of breeding methodsand sheep morphologies between the two areas during the middleIron Age. On the contrary, sheep with similar size and the implementation and development of similar sheep husbandry practices inthe Pyrenees and the north-eastern Iberian coast were documented during the early Roman period. These results suggest theexistence of livestock links between these two areas during the Roman period, that could be involved a possible movement ofsheep between the lowlands and the Pyrenees for the first time

Livestock management systems are complex refl ections of economic practices. During the mid-fourth millennium BC in southeastern Poland distinct economic activities were revealed using portable x-ray fl uorescence (herein pXRF). Portable X-ray fl uorescence was used to measure elemental levels of strontium in the teeth of cattle, sheep and pig. Strontium is fi xed in dental enamel after a tooth has formed. By comparing strontium in teeth of different developmental ages it was possible to segregate individuals into local and non-local animals from three sites. The patterns observed reveal two levels of stock-herding in the Bronocice region. One pattern of low strontium diversity revealed the existence of unique localized management strategies for each species indicating they were managed separately. Another pattern of high strontium variability confi rmed the importation of non-local animals on an increasing scale over time revealing another aspect of Bronocice’s involvement in long distance trade.

Habitat suitability for mammal species in grassland/forest ecotones may be affected by changes in abiotic conditions (e.g. light incidence), grazing and burning disturbances, and woody encroachment. We evaluate models addressing the role of such factors on structuring non-volant small mammal assemblages considering (1) only disturbed and (2) all ecotones (disturbed and undisturbed). A complete model (i.e., abiotic gradients, disturbances and woody encroachment) was the most plausible for abundance considering all ecotones, and for niche similarity considering both all and only disturbed ecotones. Niche similarity increased with distance from hydric resources, and abundance with increasing vegetation height. Further, disturbed habitats harbored simplified species assemblages. Habitat selection was detected in all ecotones due to the occurrence of habitat-specialist species on undisturbed sites. We did not find an exclusive influence of woody encroachment on mammal diversity. Patterns described here are relevant for management of productive lands and for biodiversity conservation.

Bull-calves of the Kazakh white-headed breed play leading role in the development of beef cattle farming in Kazakhstan. Therefore, its improvement affects the production volume of high quality beef. The article describes some technological aspects of livestock management in the semidesert zone of the Naryn Sands of Kazakhstan. The authors determined the level of economic traits of the Kazakh white-headed bull-calves, their clinical and physiological parameters as well as the characteristics of hair-coat cover under the conditions of semidesert zone of the Naryn Sands. Three experimental groups of 10 calves in each group were selected for the tests. Bull-calves were selected based on the method of group analogues. According to the research conducted, when implementing management based on traditional technology of livestock, adopted for the Naryn Sands climatic conditions, it is recommended to feed bull-calves aged from 9 to 12 months with supplementary 3 kg of concentrated feedstuff during the growing period to achieve high live weight. Besides, based on data analysis, it was concluded that under the conditions of the Naryn Sands, there is no need to build facilities for beef cattle management that is economically advantageous. The analysis of the obtained data on hair-coat covering and clinical and physiological parameters suggests strong adaptive capacity of the Kazakh white-headed bull-calves at the conventional management technology typical for the Naryn Sands.

Women play substantial roles in farming systems and are vigorously involved in farm and livestock management, but their contribution in farming systems is generally overlooked and undervalued which has reflected them as invisible workers. The farm women of are engaged in labour intensive, time consuming, arduous, monotonous, repetitive, manual operations resulting in fatigue and drudgery. Considering the issue as imperative, a survey was conducted in three districts of Western plain zone of Uttar Pradesh i.e Meerut and Saharanpur and Bulandshahar in the year 2015-2016. The total sample comprises a random sample of 180 households i.e. (3 District x 3 blocks/district x 2 villages/ block x 10 households) using a stratified sampling frame. A total of 180 households were selected for the study. Crop + Horticulture (vegetables) + Dairy (FS­3­) and Horticulture + Crop + Dairy (FS4) can be tagged as gender sensitive farming systems due to the higher amount of drudgery prone feminine farm operations. Carrying of dung through basket as headload depicted by their highest drudgery score (62.58) was a feminine farm operation performed by (88%) in FS3 followed by (83%) in FS4.

It is often assumed that domestic animals in early urban Near Eastern centres either are a reflection of the local pastoral economy, or were raised at a distance by pastoral specialists. In this paper, we test these assumptions through detailed isotopic analyses (carbon, oxygen and strontium) of caprines (sheep and goat) from Tell es-Safi/Gath, an Early Bronze Age urban centre in central Israel. The isotopic analyses demonstrate that the bulk of the caprines were raised within the general vicinity of the site, suggesting that the majority of food resources were largely produced at the local level, within the territory of the city-state, and not at a distance by specialised pastoralists. It is the rare specimen that comes from a great distance and would have entered the local system through long distance trade networks.

The aim of this paper is to present the results of the biometrical analysis carried out on cattle, sheep/goat and pig measurements from a number of Spanish archaeological sites, dated between Roman and post-medieval times. The results show that important transformations occurred in livestock management, as it is visible through various changes in the body size of the main domesticates. The Romans had a great interest in improving 1 cattle breeds, 2 while during the Middle Ages most effort was put in improving sheep breeds. The size of the three taxa decreased after Roman times, reaching their minimum size between the 8th and 9th centuries, probably in association with changes in livestock management, including free-range keeping and non-selective breeding.

In western countries buffaloes are emerging as an alternative species for dairy product differentiation. In the near future dairy enterprises will have to meet increasing environmental regulations. Life Cycle Assessment has been widely used to assess the environmental impact of different milk production systems. We aimed to examine the environmental consequences of two dairy buffalo heifer farming systems using the Life Cycle Assessment approach. The primary data were collected from 32 subjects aged 7–8 months at the start of the experiment until they reached the age of puberty in about 12 months (i.e. at the age of 19–20 months). Sixteen animals were group-housed and confined in an indoor slatted floor pen (4 m2/animal) with an outdoor paddock (4 m2/animal); 16 others free-ranged on a Mediterranean natural pasture. The environmental charges for global warming potential expressed in terms of total emissions of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) was 35.7% less in the free-ranging system as compared with the confined system. The main source of pollution for the confined system was biogenic methane (total amount produced = 2012 kg CO2-eq) followed by CO2 from fossil fuels (total amount produced = 1006 kg CO2-eq). The environmental charges for acidification potential, eutrophication potential and non-renewable energy use were 86.3%. 60.0% and 81.4% lower in the free-ranging system compared with the confined system, respectively. In the confined system the largest pollutant in terms of acidification potential was ammonia, whereas nitrate leaching in water (total amount produced = 3311 g SO2-eq) and the use of crude oil (total amount consumed = 5684 MJ-eq) were the most relevant for eutrophication potential and non-renewable energy use, respectively. Our results represent the first example of study comparing the environmental impact of an intensive dairy farming system with an alternative natural pasture based system in the Mediterranean region and suggest that the conduction of the unproductive part of the cycle on natural pasture can promote the reduction of several sources of pollution both in atmosphere and in water. Conversely, land occupation was higher in the free-ranging system as compared with the confined system (20,349 vs 1381 m2 year, respectively). However, the software and the database used for this calculation only considered duration of land use and yield per area unit, whereas no relevance was given to the quality of land use in terms of animal welfare promotion, contribution to biodiversity conservation, and maintenance of economically active social communities. Therefore, we suggest that the estimation of the impact categories related to land occupation would include aspects concerning the nature of the land.

Objective. The present study consisted in characterizing the dual-purpose cattle system and the factors that limit the productivity of this system in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. Material and Methods. We applied a survey to 214 producers and we analyzed the data with analyses of factors and conglomerate. Results. The analysis of factors identified five components: resources level, productivity, technological level, livestock management and socioeconomic aspects and these components explain 70.5% of the total cumulative variance. The conglomerate analysis identified three clusters: cluster 1 (52.5%, 105 producers) and defined as a system focused on milk production. Cluster 2 (41.5%, 83 producers) defined as traditional farms of meat and milk production and Cluster 3 (6%; 12 producers) defined as farms focused on meat production. The three clusters present similar livestock management (p>0.05). The producers base their feeding strategies on grazing rangeland with seasonal supplementation of silage and commercial concentrate; however, each cluster differed (p, Objetivo. El estudio consistió en realizar una caracterización del sistema bovinos de doble propósito y los factores que limitan la productividad de este sistema en el norte de Sinaloa, México. Materiales y Métodos. Se aplicó una encuesta a 214 productores y la información se analizó mediante un análisis de factores y de conglomerados. Resultados. El análisis de factores identificó cinco componentes; nivel de recursos, productividad, nivel tecnológico, manejo del ganado y aspectos socioeconómicos. Estos cinco factores explican el 70.5% del total de la varianza acumulada. El análisis de conglomerados identificó tres clústers: Clúster 1 (105 productores, 52.5%) se definió sistema enfocado a la producción de leche, Clúster 2 (83 productores, 41.5%) definido como explotaciones tradicionales productoras de carne y leche y Clúster 3 (12 productores, 6%) definido como explotaciones enfocadas la producción de carne. Los tres clústers presentan un manejo similar del ganado (p>0.05). Los productores de los clústers basan sus estrategias de alimentación del ganado en el pastoreo con suplementación estacional de ensilaje y concentrado comercial, no obstante, cada clúster tiene diferentes (p

Whether interactions between wildlife and livestock are competitive or facilitative is context dependent. Intermediary factors that explain how context (seasonal or regional characteristics of the ecological community) affects these interactions are rarely reported. We compared activity time and density in vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) introduced into the Chimborazo Faunal Production Reserve (CFPR), Ecuador, to describe how they interact with livestock. We compared vicuña density in wetlands and uplands (two landscape structures) with and without livestock (two conditions) using an isodar approach. We measured, over two seasons, vicuña forage abundance, composition, preference and accessibility, time vicuñas spent vigilant, and their flight distances on approach. We tested optimal foraging theory relating to the hypothesis that time mediates behavior, and found that vicuñas were no less frequently vigilant, nor were flight distances greater, during a wet season or in habitats of greater forage abundance and accessibility. We also found no evidence that vicuña behavior was density dependent; instead, we found that more time was spent vigilant by vicuñas when they foraged near livestock in rainy regions during the dry season. Although forage abundance was similar throughout CFPR during a dry season, better forage quality in areas occupied by livestock may constitute an effect of their facilitating vicuñas. A puzzling finding, because it was not explained by any of the other variables we measured, was that at low densities vicuñas selected habitat irrespective of livestock, and where their density was higher, it was doubly so adjacent to livestock. We conclude that in the CFPR, spatial heterogeneity in habitat quality determines the interactions between livestock and vicuñas. To support recommendations that minimize competition between wildlife and livestock, and to expand on descriptions of the contexts that determine the direction of species interactions, future study may require a wider sampling of the densities of sympatric large herbivores in general, and, in the CFPR, a closer resolution of spatial heterogeneity in forage plant quality.

Livestock management in the Borana pastoral production system is performed by all family members and the functioning of the system depends on their capability to conduct these activities. However, in recent times, multi-level changes seem to have affected these activities and the related division of labour and demand for labour. In this study we used an actororiented approach to understand how Borana pastoral women in southern Ethiopia perceive and evaluate their current role and work in livestock management under the increasing influence of these changes. Based on information gained through 58 semi-structured and nine narrative interviews, women's perceptions of the activity 'fodder collection for young stock' are presented as an example, as this activity is affected by both environmental issues and government policies that have led to changes in labour needs and division of labour between Borana women and men.

A field survey was undertaken in Narmada valley region, four taluka of Narmada district of south Gujarat to collect first hand information on management practices of dairy animals followed by tribal peoples. The breeding, health care and milking management practices were studied using pre tested questionnaire through three stage sampling. Two villages, from four taluka were selected. From each village, 10 tribal farmers were selected randomly with a total of 80 respondents. Study revealed that maximum farmers (41.30 %) of this area were less educated belongs to middle age (53.80% 30-50 years) category having medium size family (5-8 members). The estrus detection in cattle was based on sign and symptoms (100.0%) rather than using teaser, moreover main symptoms for identification of animal in heat were bellowing and thin mucus discharge (58.80%). The farmers (86.30%) were observed to inseminate their animals within 12-18 hrs of heat. Method of breeding adopted in area was mostly (46.30%) by combination i.e., Natural and artificial insemination (A.I.). Mostly the pregnancy diagnosis (P.D.) was practiced by 18.80% of the farmers. Dry period was more than three months in both indigenous cows (92.40%) and buffaloes (91.20%). Castration was performed in 72.70% of male animals of age more than 2 years. Vaccination was adopted by 53.80% of farmers. Regular de-worming was also practiced by 3.80 and 7.50% farmers for milch cow and calf respectively. Clean milk production was well adopted by farmers of the area. Knuckling (95.0%) was common method of hand milking followed by full hand type (3.80%) and stripping (1.30%). The management practices followed by tribal farmers of area were exceptional for few facets however most of the practices required to be improved a lot.

There has been an increasing focus on providing better weather, climate, and resource information for decision making in drylands. This study explores what kind of information pastoralists in the Sahel received in 2013 and how they responded to this information. Moreover, the study assesses whether the disseminated information corresponds to the actual needs of pastoralists. The overall objective is thus to identify the outcome of providing weather, climate, and resource information to pastoralists and thereby to explore whether and how various products may guide their mobility and decision-making patterns. The results show that few of the interviewed pastoralists receive the seasonal rainfall forecasts, which have been produced since 1998 by the Climate Outlook Forum for West Africa. The pastoralists who did receive the forecasts used the information to adjust their crop cultivation strategies rather than to support livestock management decisions. To do the latter, pastoralists need information pertaining to the availability of grazing resources in various areas, the onset date of the rains, flooding events, and finescale information on rainfall amount during the first weeks of the rainy season. Such information could be used to adjust the purchase of supplementary fodder, to make qualified choices on transhumance destinations, and to make changes in herd composition. As pastoralists primarily acquire this information by calling friends and family in nearby areas, the results point to a strong disconnect between the parameters and scale of information that pastoralists need and those currently provided.

China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is experiencing a marked decline in grassland quality partially as a result of government policies to sedentarize nomadic pastoralists and privatized collective grasslands. Previous research suggests that traditional forms of cooperation among Inner Mongolian pastoralists have deteriorated as a result of privatization and sedentarization. Herders in New Barag Right Banner (n = 50) representing both sedentary and mobile livestock management strategies were asked to respond to a scaled survey regarding their attitudes towards cooperation with other pastoralists. Inter-rater reliability and Mann–Whitney U Tests were utilized to compare the attitudes towards cooperation across sedentary and mobile settlement categories and to assess whether or not sedentary and mobile herders share the same cultural model regarding cooperation. The authors show that there is both high intra- and inter-group agreement on the survey variables across settlement categories, indicating that sedentary and mobile herders share the same cultural model regardless of their settlement pattern.

Facilitating human-carnivore coexistence is a major conservation concern in human-dominated landscapes worldwide. Useful insights could be gained by studying and understanding the dynamics of human-carnivore coexistence in landscapes in which carnivores and humans have coexisted for a long time. We used a two-pronged approach combin- ing ecological and social data to study coexistence of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) and humans in Tran- sylvania, Romania. First, we surveyed 554 km of walking transects to estimate activity via a bear sign index, namely the proportion of anthills disturbed by bears, and used spatially explicit predictive models to test which biophysical and anthropogenic variables influenced bear activity. Second, we interviewed 86 shepherds and 359 villagers and community represen- tatives to assess conflicts with bears and attitudes of shepherds towards bears. Our interdisciplinary study showed that bears and humans coexisted relatively peacefully despite occasional conflicts. Coexistence appeared to be facilitated by: (1) the availability of large forest blocks that are connected to the source population of bears in the Carpathian Mountains; (2) the use of traditional livestock management to min- imize damage from bears; and (3) some tolerance among shepherds to occasional conflict with bears. In contrast, bear activity was unrelated to human settle- ments, and compensation for livestock losses did not influence people's attitudes toward bears. Our study shows that coexistence of humans and carnivores is possible, even without direct economic incentives. A key challenge for settings with a discontinuous history of human-carnivore coexistence is to reinstate both practices and attitudes that facilitate coexistence.

The typical steppe is a major region for sheep meat production in north of china, but most of the area has now become degraded inducing serious constraints for livestock management. In this study we compared the effects of the grazing management strategies on herbage mass (HM), sheep intake, diet chemical composition, and digestibility, and on live weight gain (LWG) of sheep grazing in typical steppe of north china during the growing season. Five grazing management strategies which have different stocking rate at different season were evaluated. The grazing managements were no grazing in the late spring and stocking rate at 9.3 and 6.7 sheep/ha in the summer and autumn (SA1); no grazing in the late spring and stocking rate at 6.7 and 9.3 sheep/ha in the summer and autumn (SA2); continuous grazing at 9.3 sheep/ha through all seasons (SA3); continuous grazing at 9.3 sheep/ha through late spring and summer and changing to 6.7 sheep/ha in the autumn (SA4); continuous grazing at 6.7 sheep/ha through all seasons (SA5). The results showed that HM decreased from 1.0 t DM/ha at SA1 and SA2 to 0.34–0.37 t DM/ha in SA3 and SA4 (P

Excavations at the Iron Age settlement of La Hoya in north-central Iberia, which was attacked between the mid-4th and the late 3rd centuries BC, provided fossilized scenes of devastation and death but also an extraordinary opportunity to analyze lifeways. Here, we conduct stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of human, animal and plant remains to reconstruct aspects of subsistence. The results indicate a mainly C3-based subsistence economy, focused on the cultivation of cereals and the herding of domestic animals, particularly pigs, as the archaeological data support. Although C4 plants are less abundant, they may have played a key role in infant and child feeding practices. Inferred differences in livestock management, as well as in manuring intensity and management in relation to water resources between crops, suggest a well-established farming economy. Inter-household variability in crop-cultivation and land-use suggests household production and subsistence autonomy, and suggests the existence of socio-economic inequalities within the community.