The draft policy on the sustainable management of veld and forage resources should be ready soon for further processing and endorsement by Cabinet, according to Victor Musetha of the Department of Agriculture’s Directorate of Animal and Aqua Production Systems.
“Although 87% of the land available for agriculture can only be used for some form of animal production such as livestock and wildlife, there has never been an official policy to support the sustainable use of the country’s natural pastures. We’ve had a national grazing strategy and certain legislation, but these were seldom integrated and difficult to implement,” he said.
The policy was developed between 2002 and 2006 and linked to other interventions such as the National Livestock Development Strategy and the draft national wildlife ranching policy. It will be followed by capacity-building to support veld and forage scientists and technicians at national and provincial level. I mportant aspects of the policy include the establishment of a national veld and forage working group; revision of all existing norms and standards; a national veld and forage databank; a veld-monitoring programme; and biome-specific research and development centres.
Meanwhile, to help livestock farmers choose the best management options for any particular period, the department is developing a hi-tech decision-making tool that will link rainfall predictions to veld conditions and market and fodder information. “Rainfall data will be used as an early warning to enable farmers to plan for droughts. This will include site assessments to calculate available grass and the number of animals it can support. Whether the farmer then decides to sell surplus stock or to buy in feed, he will be supported with information on service providers. The tool will also enable farmers to plan a more regular cash flow by linking the information to a relevant management calendar,” Musetha said. E-mail Victor Musetha on [email protected]. – Roelof Bezuidenhout
