Climate variability: Pastoralists’ perception, practices and enhancing adaptive pasture use for food security in Choma District, Southern Zambia
Abstract
223 words
Pastoralists have managed their production system for many
centuries and have had detailed knowledge of the biodiversity
and environment of their grazing lands. Feeding of livestock is
though still a major challenge to sustainable productivity of
pastoral communities in the dryland areas in view of the current
changes in climate. The day-to-day impacts of climate change
such as higher temperature and erratic rainfall are increasing
the pastoralists’ inability to feed their animals. There is need to
understand the impact of climate change on the change in the
utilisation of the feed resources by the pastoralists so as to
mitigate the negative effects. This will help to know which
indigenous forage species have become less used or even
become extinct and which ones are becoming more adaptable
and therefore more important. Currently in sub-Saharan Africa,
and Zambia in particular, there is lack of information concerning
the pastoral production systems and their adaptive use of forages
in view of the changes in climate. It is therefore important to identify the indigenous forage species which are used more
than before and promote their utilisation to ensure sustainability
of livelihoods of the pastoralists. This paper therefore looks at
the changes in use of grass and browse species as an adaptation
to climate change and through this process improve their usage
in feeding livestock in dryland pastoral areas.
Subjects
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