Rangeland Ecology & Management

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FORMULATING AND SECURING SUSTAINABLE RANGELAND/WATERSHED AGROFORESTRY THROUGH COMMUNITY BASED MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (CBMS) STRATEGIES
Author
Ndzeidze, Stephen K.
M. Gidado, Elhaj Jaji
Mbih, Richard A.
Wirngo, Harry M.
Sushuu, Bongadzem C.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2018
Body

In the savanna grasslands of Cameroon, rangeland tree-based practices are new opportunities in market oriented sustainable resource management with enhanced land stewardship for improved integrated practices such as community based management systems (CBMS). Such prospects are only noticed where there is some institutional and organizational framework and strategies for grazing and livestock management. The common pool nature of rangelands in the Western Highlands watershed pushes most pastoralists to very unsustainable practices like excessive overgrazing with no plough back efforts to improve the range. Pastoralist are very independent with no checks and security of tenure, and compounded by open range grazing system on community land, we now have the growing problem of invasive weeds. Grazing activities are dominated by the Fulani Mbororo pastoralist who arrived the western highlands of Cameroon by 1916, but the indigenous people mostly involved in agricultural activities have increasingly engaged in grazing activities. Sylvopastoralism that combines tree/shrubs with forage (hay or pasture) in livestock production is fast emerging across several grazing zones as the most reliable integrating form of management to ameliorate the persistent degradation of the rangelands management. Though without existing institutions and structures to organize and coordinate the agroforestry activities for sustainable management, there is the need for formulating and securing sustainable tree/grass planting through CBMS strategies for integrating trees in grazing management. Agroforestry is a major challenge but is crucial for future rangeland improvements. To ensure the security of livestock production systems therefore, large-scale adoption and establishment of agroforestry with multi-purpose trees that are vital for watershed ecosystem management and protection is vital. Challenges to formulating and implementing agroforestry is partly because of lacked policies to ensure afforestation of watershed grazing land. Community grazier groups can be harness into small cooperatives within which different aspects about agroforestry management can be established.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Reno, NV