Systems in the tropics

20 important questions on Systems in the tropics

What are industrial farming systems?

High output systems, high inputs used, grazing lands are shaped/manipu;ated to get highest production: irrigation/drainage, precision fertilization, optimal stocking rates, optimal botanicl composition, mechanisation, pesticides, dry season/winter feed conservation

Where does a grazing syste, develop?

Where it is too ; dry,hot,cold,wet,high; marginal and unfavorable, used by pastoralists

What is a mixed crop-livestock system?

Small amounts of land (2ha) to produce some crops and maybe livestock. At least one billion people survive from such systems
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What is the tragedy of the commons?

Private grazing lands more productive, better ecology than communal grazing lands as a result of economic reasoning

What is a savanna?

Tropical vegetation with a ground layer of predominantly C4 grasses and an emergent layer of loosely spaced trees and shrubs

What are the charasteristics of savannes?

- Cover 15% of world's surface
- Found in all tropical continents
- Largest ares (60%) in Africa

What happens when there is water available in sub soil?

Tree-grass coexistence

What are other determinants of tree cover?

- Herbivory
- Fire

What are the effects of browsing herbivores?

- Reduction of cover and density

What is an example of how cover and density of trees are reduced by browsers?

- Debarking of large trees (elephants)
- Pushing over medium sized trees (elephants)
- Destruction of smaller trees (elephants/ black rhino)
- Browsing of leaves, twigs and branches which mortality at high browsing pressure (giraffe)
- Consumption seeds and seedlings (impala)

What are the indirect effects of grazers?

- Removal of biomoass
- Increased water infiltration
- Increased germination of seeds
- Deposition of dung; increased nutrient supply, germination bed

What effects can herbivores have on trees?

- Species composition
- Removal of tree cover
+ and - effects on seedling establishment and recruitment
- Nutrient dynamics and soil water supply
Generally: browsers negative, grazers positive

Why use fire in pastoral systems?

- Reduction of pests and disease (ticks, flys with diseases)
- Increased visibility
- Improved forage quality for grazing because of young new material

What is the green flush after fire?

- More palatable grass species
- Higher forage quality
- Higher grass intake per bite

What types of fire are there?

- High intesity
- Low intensity

What is a low intensity fire?

Low flames
Less dagame to trees
Slow moving
More damage at ground level

What is a pasturalist?

Herder who goes with he animals where the feed is; in the rainy seasons in the grazing lands, in the dry season look for the best place

What are communal grazing lands in dutch?

Eng of meent

Why is the daily weight gain (DWG) lower with higher stocking rates?

- Less food avaialble
- High quality food is aten first
- After that; only low quality left

What is a 'simple' solution to solve the tragedy of the commons?

To have less animals to increase growth; but this will come with costs (less use of the functions of the animals)

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