{"id":5938,"date":"2023-07-13T21:31:57","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T18:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/?p=5938"},"modified":"2023-07-14T22:37:46","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T19:37:46","slug":"participatory-establishment-of-cenchrus-ciliaris-forage-grass-among-pastoralists-in-a-semi-arid-rangeland-area-of-eastern-tanzania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/news\/participatory-establishment-of-cenchrus-ciliaris-forage-grass-among-pastoralists-in-a-semi-arid-rangeland-area-of-eastern-tanzania","title":{"rendered":"Participatory establishment of Cenchrus ciliaris forage grass among pastoralists in a semi-arid rangeland area of eastern Tanzania"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Cenchrus ciliaris<\/em> is considered to be\u00a0highly nutritive and excellent for pasture in hot, dry areas. It is valued for its production of palatable forage and intermittent grazing during dry periods in the tropics. The establishment of Cenchrus ciliaris<\/em>, commonly known as buffel grass, among pastoralists in a semi-arid rangeland area of eastern Tanzania can provide several benefits for livestock production and sustainable land management. Cenchrus ciliaris<\/em> is a drought-tolerant grass species well-suited to semi-arid environments. It has deep root systems that enable it to access water from lower soil layers, making it more resilient during dry spells.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Buffel grass has high nutritional value, providing a valuable source of forage for livestock. Its leaves are palatable to animals, and it retains its greenness for longer periods compared to other grasses, even during dry seasons. By introducing buffel grass, pastoralists can potentially increase the carrying capacity of their rangelands. The availability of a nutritious forage source allows for higher livestock stocking rates, leading to improved productivity and potentially higher income for pastoralists. The establishment of Cenchrus ciliaris<\/em> also can help control soil erosion in semi-arid rangelands. Its extensive root system helps bind the soil, reducing the risk of erosion caused by wind and water.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"A team of researchers from the Department of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences at Sokoine University of Agriculture<\/a>\u00a0(SUA), Morogoro, Tanzania; Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries<\/a>, Rangeland Society of Tanzania<\/a> and Tanzania Dairy Board<\/a>, assessing the grazing land management, and perception among Maasai\u00a0 pastoralists. They also evaluate\u00a0 Cenchrus\u00a0 ciliaris\u00a0 L<\/em>.(Buffel\u00a0 grass)\u00a0 establishment\u00a0 and\u00a0 biomass\u00a0 yield\u00a0 under\u00a0 four\u00a0 levels\u00a0 of\u00a0 fertilisation\u00a0 and\u00a0 three\u00a0 seedbeds\u00a0 in\u00a0 a\u00a0 semi-arid\u00a0 area\u00a0 of\u00a0 eastern\u00a0 Tanzania.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The\u00a0 seedbeds\u00a0 were\u00a0 not\u00a0 tilled\u00a0 (NT),\u00a0 tilled flat (TF) and tilled sunken (SN) with manure applied at rates of 0, 5, 10 and 15 t\u00a0 ha\u22121. The 2 m \u00d7 3 m subplots were replicated three times per seedbed-manure treatment. Communal grazing land was perceived to be in poor condition by pastoralists due to the long time spent by their livestock in search of forage. Private forage reserves for dry-season feeding\u00a0 were\u00a0 present\u00a0 and\u00a0 could\u00a0 be\u00a0 used\u00a0 for\u00a0 forage\u00a0 cultivation.\u00a0 The\u00a0 TF,\u00a0 manure\u00a0 at\u00a0 10\u00a0 and\u00a0 15\u00a0 t\u00a0\u00a0 ha\u22121\u00a0 treatments\u00a0 had\u00a0 significantly higher (p < 0.001) C. ciliaris<\/em> establishment rates (97%) and biomass than other treatments. The TF10 and TF15 t ha\u22121\u00a0 treatments\u00a0 had\u00a0 biomass\u00a0 values\u00a0 of\u00a0 9.8\u00a0 and\u00a0 10.1t\u00a0 DM\u00a0 ha\u22121,\u00a0 respectively,\u00a0 by\u00a0 Week\u00a0 10.\u00a0 Pastoralists\u00a0 preferred\u00a0 the\u00a0 TF\u00a0 method\u00a0 because\u00a0 of\u00a0 its\u00a0 high\u00a0 forage\u00a0 yield\u00a0 and\u00a0 low\u00a0 cost.\u00a0 Cultivation\u00a0 of\u00a0 C. ciliaris\u00a0<\/em> is\u00a0 important\u00a0 for\u00a0 livestock\u00a0 production and it can be established on privately owned forage reserves.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information:\u00a0Click HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

To ensure successful establishment, it is crucial to involve local pastoralist communities in the process. Engaging with community members and raising awareness about the benefits of Cenchrus ciliaris<\/em> can foster a sense of ownership and encourage sustainable management practices. Proper grazing management practices are essential to maintain the health and productivity of buffel grass stands. Implementing rotational grazing systems, controlling grazing intensity, and allowing adequate recovery periods for regrowth are important considerations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ngenzi, O.D., Ruvuga, P.R., Msalya, G.M. and Maleko, D.D.<\/span>\u00a0(2023).<\/span>\u00a0Participatory establishment of\u00a0Cenchrus ciliaris<\/i> forage grass among pastoralists in a semi-arid rangeland area of eastern Tanzania.<\/span>\u00a0African Journal of Range and Forage Science<\/em>,<\/span>\u00a0DOI:\u00a010.2989\/10220119.2023.2219700<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Other information regarding this news: Click HERE (SAT)<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Department of Animal, Aquaculture, and Range Sciences<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The College of Agriculture<\/a>,\u00a0Sokoine University of Agriculture<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Share this page<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cenchrus ciliaris is considered to be\u00a0highly nutritive and excellent for pasture in hot, dry areas. It is valued for its production of palatable forage and intermittent grazing during dry periods in the tropics. The establishment of Cenchrus ciliaris, commonly known as buffel grass, among pastoralists in a semi-arid rangeland area of eastern Tanzania can provide […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5970,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5938"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5974,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5938\/revisions\/5974"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/animal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}