Technologies

Daily grazing of village-herds [Tadjikistan]

Charogo bistumi (pasture for everyone)

technologies_1408 - Tadjikistan

État complet : 73%

1. Informations générales

1.2 Coordonnées des personnes-ressources et des institutions impliquées dans l'évaluation et la documentation de la Technologie

Personne(s)-ressource(s) clé(s)

Spécialiste GDT:
Nom du ou des institutions qui ont facilité la documentation/ l'évaluation de la Technologie (si pertinent)
CDE Centre for Development and Environment (CDE Centre for Development and Environment) - Suisse
Nom du ou des institutions qui ont facilité la documentation/ l'évaluation de la Technologie (si pertinent)
NCCR North-South (NCCR North-South) - Kirghizistan

1.3 Conditions relatives à l'utilisation par WOCAT des données documentées

Le compilateur et la(les) personne(s) ressource(s) acceptent les conditions relatives à l'utilisation par WOCAT des données documentées:

Oui

1.5 Référence au(x) Questionnaires sur les Approches de GDT (documentées au moyen de WOCAT)

Common village herding
approaches

Common village herding [Tadjikistan]

Village herding system with daily alternation of the herders including each household in a monthly turnus.

  • Compilateur : Christian Wirz

2. Description de la Technologie de GDT

2.1 Courte description de la Technologie

Définition de la Technologie:

Rotational grazing on village pastures with heavy pressure with daily to weekly change of grazing places.

2.2 Description détaillée de la Technologie

Description:

The herding season is from the beginnning of March to the End of Octobre or even beginning of Decembre. Total area is between 10-20 km2, depending on how strictly the borders are understood. Cows, sheep, goats and donkeys compose the herds. Grazing begins when soil moisture begins to decreaset, first with the little animals, that are supposed to better cope with slippery conditions. After two weeks the cows are led to the pastures and in some cases they will be grazed alone, because sheep and goats disturb them. The grazing zone is situated between 1400 and 1700 m. Rotation begins on the lower pastures, at the beginning of summer the higher pastures are used and towards autumn the animals graze near the villages again, sometimes on cropland, feeding on crop residues. The herders are advised to change place after 2-3 days, but often stay in one place for a longer time. The animals are gathered on the way out of the village a little after dawn, than brought to the pastures. At noon-time they will be lead to a shady place close to a stream, if possible. The same places are visited three or more times per season.

Purpose of the Technology: The animals should be nourished and the cows should give milk. A land user kept his cow at home towards the end of summer, because it stopped giving milk, from the sparse and dry vegetation on the pastures.

Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: The costs for this form of herding are lost days at school for the children. It largely works without external inputs (such as fertilisers). Other inputs such as salt for the animals are covered by the landowner.

Natural / human environment: These pasture-areas are heaviliy suffering from overuse on one hand and from droughts on the other side. They are in a generally well-conserved state. Fractional vegetation cover is low, especially tree cover, and the proportion non-palatable species relatively high. Erosion by water, including gullies, and crusting, are common phenomena, especially in low cover areas.

2.3 Photos de la Technologie

2.5 Pays/ région/ lieux où la Technologie a été appliquée et qui sont couverts par cette évaluation

Pays:

Tadjikistan

Région/ Etat/ Province:

Region of Republican Subordination

Autres spécifications du lieu:

Faizabad

Spécifiez la diffusion de la Technologie:
  • répartie uniformément sur une zone
S'il n'existe pas d'informations exactes sur la superficie, indiquez les limites approximatives de la zone couverte:
  • 10-100 km2
Commentaires:

Total area covered by the SLM Technology is 15 km2.

For some villages figures are available, for instance for Karsang: This village has alltogether 850 ha of common grazing land, for officially 212 cows and 775 little animals. For the whole Jamoat the figures are of around 2500 ha of pasture-land (not all in the study-area) for 2695 cows and 5950 little animals.

2.6 Date de mise en œuvre de la Technologie

Si l'année précise est inconnue, indiquez la date approximative: :
  • il y a plus de 50 ans (technologie traditionnelle)

2.7 Introduction de la Technologie

Spécifiez comment la Technologie a été introduite: :
  • dans le cadre d'un système traditionnel (> 50 ans)
Commentaires (type de projet, etc.) :

Already before the USSR the villages used to have their hamlets and grazed them around the villages, but also in the formerly not very populated plains. By the settlement of people in the plains and population growth from the 1970ies onward livestock numbers and pressure on natural resources started to increase there. And through Soviet collective agriculture people were forced to keep livestock close to the villages, as a consequence of their employment. In addition, grazing on the territory of forest administration, founded in the 1960ies, was forbidden for the villagers.

3. Classification de la Technologie de GDT

3.2 Type(s) actuel(s) d'utilisation des terres, là où la Technologie est appliquée

Pâturages

Pâturages

Pâturage extensif:
  • Ranching
Type d'animal:
  • caprine
  • ovins
  • cow, donkey
Commentaires:

Livestock density (if relevant):

< 1 LU/km2

Major land use problems (compiler’s opinion): Soils are heavily degraded in the sense of generally high levels of compaction and crusting and low organic matter contents. Vegetation is especially reduced in cover, not necessarily in biomass and, the fraction of good pasture species is low.

Major land use problems (land users’ perception): Many trees have been cut down during civil war and till today, leaving back a soil without protection. Animals grazing on these pastures are not fat, often sick and cows give little and sometimes (in summer) no milk. An often mentioned problem is the situation of drought in 2008 and animals staying in one place for longer periods, which leads to degradation of vegetation.

Ranching: sheep and goats / cows and donkeys.

Grazingland comments: In spring sheep and goats are herded before cows, then in a separate herd and toward the end of the season, together.

Type of grazing system comments: In spring sheep and goats are herded before cows, then in a separate herd and toward the end of the season, together.

3.4 Approvisionnement en eau

Approvisionnement en eau des terres sur lesquelles est appliquée la Technologie:
  • pluvial
Commentaires:

Specify:

Longest growing period in days: 270Longest growing period from month to month: Oct - Jul

3.5 Groupe de GDT auquel appartient la Technologie

  • pastoralisme et gestion des pâturages

3.6 Mesures de GDT constituant la Technologie

modes de gestion

modes de gestion

  • M1: Changement du type d’utilisation des terres
Commentaires:

Main measures: management measures

3.7 Principaux types de dégradation des terres traités par la Technologie

érosion hydrique des sols

érosion hydrique des sols

  • Wt: perte de la couche superficielle des sols (couche arable)/ érosion de surface
  • Wg: ravinement/ érosion en ravines
  • Wm: mouvements de masse/ glissements de terrain
dégradation biologique

dégradation biologique

  • Bc: réduction de la couverture végétale
Commentaires:

Secondary types of degradation addressed: Wt: loss of topsoil / surface erosion, Wg: gully erosion / gullying, Wm: mass movements / landslides, Bc: reduction of vegetation cover

Main causes of degradation: overgrazing (Big livestock numbers on little surface.), poverty / wealth (People depend on livestock and on cheap pastures.)

Secondary causes of degradation: droughts (Many people mention that rainfalls were much lower in 2007-2008 than normally.), population pressure (Especially from the 1970ies onward population increased rapidly.), land tenure (As long as no-one is really responsible for the are, conservation measures are difficult to implement.), war and conflicts (Civil war was detrimental to the (little) economic, non-agricultural sector (textiles, car-parts) and to the institutions, so that many people had to return to agricultural activities.)

3.8 Prévention, réduction de la dégradation ou réhabilitation des terres dégradées

Spécifiez l'objectif de la Technologie au regard de la dégradation des terres:
  • réduire la dégradation des terres
Commentaires:

Main goals: mitigation / reduction of land degradation

4. Spécifications techniques, activités, intrants et coûts de mise en œuvre

4.1 Dessin technique de la Technologie

Spécifications techniques (associées au dessin technique):

Rotation of the village herds.

Location: Karsang and other villages. Faizabad

Date: 20.08.09

Technical knowledge required for land users: low (The practiced rotation follows the humour of the herders (often children) and is not complicated.)

Secondary technical functions: improvement of surface structure (crusting, sealing), increase of biomass (quantity)

Change of land use practices / intensity level: The begin of grazing and the rotation is fixed by a village committee. Animals should not stay at one place for longer than 3 days.

Auteur:

Christian Wirz, Switzerland

4.2 Informations générales sur le calcul des intrants et des coûts

autre/ monnaie nationale (précisez):

Somoni

Indiquez le taux de change des USD en devise locale, le cas échéant (p.ex. 1 USD = 79.9 réal brésilien): 1 USD = :

3,42

4.3 Activités de mise en place/ d'établissement

Activité Calendrier des activités (saisonnier)
1. Villagers buy animals, usually 6-10 goats and / or sheep, 1-2 cows and / or donkeys. Constantly size is regulated.

4.4 Coûts et intrants nécessaires à la mise en place

Spécifiez les intrants Unité Quantité Coûts par unité Coût total par intrant % du coût supporté par les exploitants des terres
Autre buy the animals per year 1,0 1170,0 1170,0 100,0
Coût total de mise en place de la Technologie 1170,0
Coût total de mise en place de la Technologie en dollars américains (USD) 342,11

4.5 Activités d'entretien/ récurrentes

Activité Calendrier/ fréquence
1. Per capita fee taxes Once per year.
2. Buying concentrated feed, depending on the financial resources of the land user. Bought once per year, for winter period.
3. Haymaking and / or buying, depending on labour, financial resources and livestock numbers. June-July, respectively later, if bought.
4. Medecine and salt for animals Irregularly, resp. daily to weekly.

4.6 Coûts et intrants nécessaires aux activités d'entretien/ récurrentes (par an)

Spécifiez les intrants Unité Quantité Coûts par unité Coût total par intrant % du coût supporté par les exploitants des terres
Autre Per capita fee taxes per year 12,0 1,0 12,0
Autre Buying concentrated feed kg 425,0 0,53 225,25
Autre Medecine and salt for the animals for all animals 1,0 45,0 45,0
Coût total d'entretien de la Technologie 282,25
Coût total d'entretien de la Technologie en dollars américains (USD) 82,53
Commentaires:

The calculated costs apply to each land user's cost for this herding system.

4.7 Facteurs les plus importants affectant les coûts

Décrivez les facteurs les plus importants affectant les coûts :

The most important cost factor is buying livestock. Recurrent costs are low, but rent fees for pastures are percieved as being high.

5. Environnement naturel et humain

5.1 Climat

Précipitations annuelles
  • < 250 mm
  • 251-500 mm
  • 501-750 mm
  • 751-1000 mm
  • 1001-1500 mm
  • 1501-2000 mm
  • 2001-3000 mm
  • 3001-4000 mm
  • > 4000 mm
Zone agro-climatique
  • semi-aride

Thermal climate class: subtropics

5.2 Topographie

Pentes moyennes:
  • plat (0-2 %)
  • faible (3-5%)
  • modéré (6-10%)
  • onduleux (11-15%)
  • vallonné (16-30%)
  • raide (31-60%)
  • très raide (>60%)
Reliefs:
  • plateaux/ plaines
  • crêtes
  • flancs/ pentes de montagne
  • flancs/ pentes de colline
  • piémonts/ glacis (bas de pente)
  • fonds de vallée/bas-fonds
Zones altitudinales:
  • 0-100 m
  • 101-500 m
  • 501-1000 m
  • 1001-1500 m
  • 1501-2000 m
  • 2001-2500 m
  • 2501-3000 m
  • 3001-4000 m
  • > 4000 m
Commentaires et précisions supplémentaires sur la topographie:

Altidudinal zone: Most pastures are close to the villages, on around 1300-1500 m, but some pastures reach altitudes of 1600-1700 m.

Landforms: The pasture-areas usually follow N-S-ridges and most pastures are in slope-areas.

Slopes on average: Also hilly

5.3 Sols

Profondeur moyenne du sol:
  • très superficiel (0-20 cm)
  • superficiel (21-50 cm)
  • modérément profond (51-80 cm)
  • profond (81-120 cm)
  • très profond (>120 cm)
Texture du sol (de la couche arable):
  • moyen (limoneux)
Matière organique de la couche arable:
  • faible (<1%)
Si disponible, joignez une description complète du sol ou précisez les informations disponibles, par ex., type de sol, pH/ acidité du sol, capacité d'échange cationique, azote, salinité, etc.

Soil texture (topsoil): Loess soils

Soil fertility low: In most places high proportions of non-graminoids and leguminous species.

Topsoil organic matter: High proportion of hot-spots and degrading areas according to Wolfgramm's (2007) hot-brightspot-map.

Soil drainage / infiltration poor: Most soils are crusted and compacted.

5.4 Disponibilité et qualité de l'eau

Profondeur estimée de l’eau dans le sol:

> 50 m

Disponibilité de l’eau de surface:

faible/ absente

Qualité de l’eau (non traitée):

faiblement potable (traitement nécessaire)

Commentaires et précisions supplémentaires sur la qualité et la quantité d'eau:

Ground water table: Often no groundwater, because too hilly

Availability of surface water: Most areas far from open water bodies

Water quality (untreated): No pesticides, but water is contaminated by animal dung.

5.5 Biodiversité

Diversité des espèces:
  • faible
Commentaires et précisions supplémentaires sur la biodiversité:

In comparison with other areas.

5.6 Caractéristiques des exploitants des terres appliquant la Technologie

Orientation du système de production:
  • subsistance (auto-approvisionnement)
  • commercial/ de marché
Revenus hors exploitation:
  • > 50% de tous les revenus
Niveau relatif de richesse:
  • moyen
Individus ou groupes:
  • individu/ ménage
Genre:
  • femmes
  • hommes
Indiquez toute autre caractéristique pertinente des exploitants des terres:

Land users applying the Technology are mainly common / average land users

Difference in the involvement of women and men: Many children are working as herders, because of labour shortage (young men in Russia).

Population density: < 10 persons/km2

Annual population growth: 1% - 2%

30% of the land users are rich (People who have a house made of concrete or with a ribbed roof instead of one made of cement asbesto).
70% of the land users are average wealthy (Compared to the rest of society: People have enough food, children go to school, they have a mud-hou).

Off-farm income specification: Nearly all people have family members (mostly sons) in Russia, who send remittances.

Market orientation of production system subsistence (self-supply): Animals are mainly used for own consumption (meat and milk).

Market orientation of production system commercial / market: Animals are sold, if the family needs money (for medecine or education).
So, it is still better from their perspective to have animals ("as a bank", according to many villagers), than not having this security. And it is comparatively cheap, even if a land user admits that he has to feed his cow with leaves of his muleberry trees, because pastures are so unproductive, that his cow does not give milk anymore (in August).

5.7 Superficie moyenne des terres utilisées par les exploitants des terres appliquant la Technologie

  • < 0,5 ha
  • 0,5-1 ha
  • 1-2 ha
  • 2-5 ha
  • 5-15 ha
  • 15-50 ha
  • 50-100 ha
  • 100-500 ha
  • 500-1 000 ha
  • 1 000-10 000 ha
  • > 10 000 ha
Cette superficie est-elle considérée comme de petite, moyenne ou grande dimension (en se référant au contexte local)?
  • petite dimension
Commentaires:

Average area of land owned or leased by land users applying the Technology 2-5 ha: This corresponds to the average for the whole study-area, including haymaking areas.

Average area of land owned or leased by land users applying the Technology 5-15 ha: Households having a farmer's association mostly have more than the average.

Average area of land owned or leased by land users applying the Technology 15-50 ha: Some rich families even have more land that they rent to others.

5.8 Propriété foncière, droits d’utilisation des terres et de l'eau

Propriété foncière:
  • état
Droits d’utilisation des terres:
  • accès libre (non organisé)
  • communautaire (organisé)
Commentaires:

Pasture-use is theoretically regulated as described above, but additionally to the village herd there are other herders with private animals using the same pastures.

5.9 Accès aux services et aux infrastructures

santé:
  • pauvre
  • modéré
  • bonne
éducation:
  • pauvre
  • modéré
  • bonne
assistance technique:
  • pauvre
  • modéré
  • bonne
emploi (par ex. hors exploitation):
  • pauvre
  • modéré
  • bonne
marchés:
  • pauvre
  • modéré
  • bonne
énergie:
  • pauvre
  • modéré
  • bonne
routes et transports:
  • pauvre
  • modéré
  • bonne
eau potable et assainissement:
  • pauvre
  • modéré
  • bonne
services financiers:
  • pauvre
  • modéré
  • bonne

6. Impacts et conclusions

6.1 Impacts sur site que la Technologie a montrés

Impacts socio-économiques

Production

qualité des fourrages

en baisse
en augmentation
Commentaires/ spécifiez:

Compared with all other areas the proportion of forbs is very high.

production animale

en baisse
en augmentation
Commentaires/ spécifiez:

Compared with an efficient grazing rotation, returns (in terms of milk and meat) are very low.

production de bois

en baisse
en augmentation
Commentaires/ spécifiez:

Very little trees are left because of goats eating them.

diversité des produits

en baisse
en augmentation
Commentaires/ spécifiez:

During war most people depended on cropland (wheat).

Revenus et coûts

charge de travail

en augmentation
en baisse
Commentaires/ spécifiez:

This system does not depend on professional herders, is thus economic, also in financial terms.

Impacts socioculturels

sécurité alimentaire/ autosuffisance

réduit
amélioré
Commentaires/ spécifiez:

It is better for land users to have communal pastures but worse than having a well-implemented rotational grazing system, but the family does not have to buy meat.

institutions communautaires

affaibli
renforcé

Livelihoods and human well-being

reduced
improved

Impacts écologiques

Cycle de l'eau/ ruissellement

ruissellement de surface

en augmentation
en baisse
Commentaires/ spécifiez:

Especially trampling paths of livestock are very vulnerable to water erosion

Sols

encroûtement/ battance du sol

en augmentation
réduit
Commentaires/ spécifiez:

The degree of compaction is higher than elsewhere.

compaction du sol

en augmentation
réduit
Commentaires/ spécifiez:

The degree of compaction is higher than elsewhere.

matière organique du sol/ au dessous du sol C

en baisse
en augmentation
Commentaires/ spécifiez:

Organic matter is very low compared with all other areas. Biomass might be stonger reduced with animals grazing earlier in spring.

Biodiversité: végétale, animale

biomasse/ au dessus du sol C

en baisse
en augmentation

6.3 Exposition et sensibilité de la Technologie aux changements progressifs et aux évènements extrêmes/catastrophes liés au climat (telles que perçues par les exploitants des terres)

Extrêmes climatiques (catastrophes)

Catastrophes météorologiques
Comment la Technologie fait-elle face à cela?
pluie torrentielle locale pas bien
Catastrophes climatiques
Comment la Technologie fait-elle face à cela?
sécheresse pas bien
Commentaires:

Pasture areas, that remain the same since the USSR, could be changed every few years to permit their recovery and regrowth of trees, chopped during and after civil war. The very basic rotational schemes existing in all villages are little effective. It is not possible to recognise conservation effects due to the generally very critical state of resources.

6.4 Analyse coûts-bénéfices

Quels sont les bénéfices comparativement aux coûts de mise en place (du point de vue des exploitants des terres)?
Rentabilité à court terme:

positive

Rentabilité à long terme:

légèrement positive

Quels sont les bénéfices comparativement aux coûts d'entretien récurrents (du point de vue des exploitants des terres)?
Rentabilité à court terme:

positive

Rentabilité à long terme:

légèrement positive

Commentaires:

The land users see the problem of reduced productivity when pastures are overexploited. They complain about having to sell animals, but mainly attribute this to droughts.

6.5 Adoption de la Technologie

Si disponible, quantifiez (nombre de ménages et/ou superficie couverte):

NA

De tous ceux qui ont adopté la Technologie, combien d'entre eux l'ont fait spontanément, à savoir sans recevoir aucune incitation matérielle, ou aucune rémunération? :
  • 91-100%
Commentaires:

Comments on acceptance with external material support: No subsidies have been paid for buying livestock. But, as people highly depend on remittances, it can be assumed that these have also been invested into livestock.

100% of land user families have adopted the Technology without any external material support

There is a moderate trend towards spontaneous adoption of the Technology

Comments on adoption trend: Young families who do not yet have livestock are thinking of buying animals in the future. On the other hand herding in the upper areas still has potential and wealthy people might want to send their animals there with professional herders in the future.

6.7 Points forts/ avantages/ possibilités de la Technologie

Points forts/ avantages/ possibilités du point de vue de l'exploitant des terres
Animal husbandry is an economic basis which permits development.

How can they be sustained / enhanced? People should be allowed to keep as much animals as they want to. And the pasture-area should not become smaller.
Points forts/ avantages/ possibilités du point de vue du compilateur ou d'une autre personne ressource clé
It is the most cheap form of self-sufficient meat-production.

How can they be sustained / enhanced? Pasture-quality needs to be preserved, otherwise the carrying-capacity of pastures will be reduced.
Livestock with its semimonetary value is much more stable in value than money on the bank (increasing livestock prices).

How can they be sustained / enhanced? Only if alternatives for animal husbandry emerge will the prices for livestock not fall.

6.8 Faiblesses/ inconvénients/ risques de la Technologie et moyens de les surmonter

Faiblesses/ inconvénients/ risques du point de vue de l’exploitant des terres Comment peuvent-ils être surmontés?
Animals and pastures are less productive (reduced biomass) and pastures show more signs of erosion than those on forest department. There, pasture-areas are bigger and, by consequence, there is more space for herding. If there were not always more people affording to rent land for orchards or haymaking the pressure on the remaining pastures would not increase.
The pastures very much depend on enough water: If there is little rain (like in 2008) animals return hungry from the pastures. There is hope that the planned water pipe from Rogun (planned giant dam) will bring water for irrigation (of cropland, where animals graze in late summer and where forbs are collected as winter fodder).
Rent fees have to be paid, which are percieved as high by some land users. They fear additional per-capita animal taxes. No more taxes should be introduced and herding should not be stronger regulated, because many people depend on animal husbandry.
This herding system is vulnerable to droughts and temperature increase, which are percieved as main degradation causes. Besides this, excessive livestock numbers are seen as a cause of cover reduction and compaction. Especially where animals graze the soil is naked and dry after 2-3 days. It might be helpful to let the pastures recover for 3-5 years for trees (which bring moisture) to grow. But this might require administration through external institutions and people fear that they will not get back the pastures.
Faiblesses/ inconvénients/ risques du point de vue du compilateur ou d'une autre personne ressource clé Comment peuvent-ils être surmontés?
Degradation of soils and vegetation on these relatively small areas is high and the pastures cannot recuperate due to constant pressure. The pastures need to have periods of recovery.
The soils are decreasing in fertility because animal dung is used as energy source. A not too expensive alternative for hot water might be solar heaters or charcoal. And to counteract general fertility problems interchanging pasture- and haymaking areas would bring dung everywhere. But this would require fencing of the remaining trees in order not to further damage vegetation cover.

7. Références et liens

7.1 Méthodes/ sources d'information

Modules