Get reliable rangeland science

Malian farmers often assume that their small ruminant herds meet most of their daily dry matter (DM) intake requirements while being herded in fields adjacent to the village. We used GPS collars to test this assumption by estimating daily activity patterns of small ruminant herds in two villages in Mali (Koutiala and Ouendebougou). In Koutiala we tracked two small ruminants that grazed with a herd of approximately 40 animals during a week in September 2015 (end of rainy season). In Ouendebougou, we tracked three small ruminants that grazed in a herd of approximately 60 animals during a week in June 2017 (end of dry season). GPS receivers logged locations at 1 min intervals. Total time of each daily herding itinerary (h) and distance traveled in a day (km) by each collared animal were calculated. Time spent resting, grazing, or traveling per day was calculated for each collared animal based on known movement velocities of common animal activities. A land cover map was developed for the area within a 3 km radius of the village of Ouendebougou to estimate time animals spent on rangeland vs. cropland. Small ruminants were herded during 8.8�0.23 (Mean � SE) and 7.42�0.22 h.day-1 in Koutiala and Ouendebougou, respectively. Animals rarely traveled more than 3.5 km from the village at either site. In Koutiala, small ruminant herds traveled 7.9�0.14 km.day-1 and spent 1.4�0.33; 2.75�0.16; or 4.76�0.25 h.day-1 resting, grazing, or traveling, respectively. In Ouendebougou, small ruminants traveled 14.34�0.51 km.day-1 and spent 0.20�0.16; 0.57�0.10; or 6.65�0.16 h.day-1 resting, grazing, or traveling, respectively. Small ruminants in Ouendebougou spent close to two thirds of their time (5.16�0.23 h.day-1) on crop stubble. Based on our estimates, it appears that small ruminants only harvest a small fraction (10 to 25%) of their daily DM intake requirements while on their daily herding itineraries.