Dear Nature Lovers,
Greetings from oikos !
Grasses are the best fodder available in abundance, almost everywhere in India.
They serve as free pastures for cattle and other domestic animals.
Lophopogon tridentatus is one of the commonly grazed species.
It is eaten by cattle while in tender stage. Being hardy, it can grow even on poor soil.
But, Can our grasslands support our large cattle & domestic animal population ?
Optimum utilization of 1 acre of land can be with 1 animal unit i.e. A cow and A calf.
But due to our large cattle and domestic animal population, which is half the human population,
an acre of land has to bear the load more than 1 animal unit,
which clearly indicates that our grasslands cannot support
much population of domestic animals and cattle.
Species of grazing animal have shifted from cattle to sheep,
which also indicates changing quality of grasslands from good to poor.
So, the livestock has to depend on grasslands, Cultivated fodder
and Crop residues of very low quality obtained from agricultural crops.
So if grasslands are conserved and improved, they can produce superior quality grass.
Even the lands, which are not capable of generating successful crops,
could be managed for grasses and fodder.
Thus wastelands can be converted into beautiful, productive landscapes,
which in turn would boost up local ecological processes,
and strengthen natural biodiversity and ecosystems. |
