How is integrated forage resource management issues differ in the different physiographic regions of Nepal.

 

Integrated Forage resource management issues vary with different physiographic region of Nepal. The forage resource management issues in the High Himalayan region differ from that of low land terai region of Nepal.

There are important constraints at different physiographic region of Nepal’s forage resource like range/pasture management, which is worthy to recognize while addressing such issues into developmental efforts.

 The principal issues are:

1.     Physical: Climate and short-growing season; hence low plant growth rates and limited potential prevails for improved production.

2.     Edaphic: Infertile soil, often shallow, acidic, with low P-availability, and often degraded.

3.     Ecological: Fragile ecosystems, loss of forest cover, and ingress of weeds.

4.     Social: Traditional systems with a transhumance element; pastoralists and farmers are conservative and averse to change; risk, communal grazing.

The physical and ecological/edaphic constraints are very critical in the high Himalayan ranges. Climate cannot be taken into control, other than perhaps the development of irrigation where possible. Soils can be improved somewhat by the correction of deficiencies, where legumes are to be grown, but only if there is likely to be an economic return from any given input. Otherwise, the only ways of dealing with these constraints are: (a) Introduction of an appropriate management practices, if these can be defined, for specific conditions, and (b) use of appropriate pasture/range species with high rates of adaptation.

In Nepal good pasture lands in the high Himalayan regions are available in monsoon months, while pastures completely lack in winter months. In winter, livestock are fed with roughage including straws, hay, maize, or millet pillages. High mountain region (2000-3000m) is good grazing land for sheep, yak and other animals.

Livestock herds in the Trans-Himalayan range and High mountain range are taken to higher altitudes in summer and lower altitudes in winter. Animals graze the perennial pastures and weeds. In the mid mountain region, stall feeding and taking the animals out to graze in the day time and keeping in sheds at night are practiced together. Animals are allowed to graze on high meadows, shrubs, communal grazing land, waste, and a limited amount of crop by products. It is reported that on the private level, only 1.2% of the land holding area is under meadows and pastures. Moreover majority of the meadows and pasture are kept by farmers of hills, especially in the western region of the country.

In the hills and mountain regions of Nepal animals graze the natural pastures or scrubby forests. Free grazing livestock during monsoon also cause environmental problems in Nepal (EPC, 1993). They consume fodder plants excessively and insufficient time is permitted for fodder plant regeneration. The poor farmers, however, have no other place than communal land to graze their livestock. Crop residues and forests contribute together about 87% of livestock feed in Nepal and the rest is supplied from non cultivated inclusions and shrub and grazing.