Increasing importance of precipitation variability on global livestock grazing lands

Sloat, Lindsey L.; Gerber, James; Samberg, Leah H.; Smith, William K.; Herrero, Mario; Ferreira, Laerte Guimarães; Godde, Cécile; West, Paul

doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0081-5

Cited by 182 publications

(147 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Namibia, north-east Kenya and south Argentina; Sloat et al, 2018). Namibia, north-east Kenya and south Argentina; Sloat et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the last century, inter-and intra-annual precipitation variability have generally increased across global grasslands (Sloat et al, 2018), although both positive and negative trends exist.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sahel, Somalia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Australia; Sloat et al, 2018). Sahel, Somalia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Australia; Sloat et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

“…tended drought that started in 2000, the moderate stocking rate treatment (~0.22 TLU/ha) could be sustained without any stock reductions, while the high stocking rate treatment showed a cattle herd number reduction by 47% between 2004 and 2006 (from 0.45 to 0.24 TLU/ha) and the variable stocking treatment that proactively matched stock numbers to forage supply had to reduce cattle numbers by 62% between 2000 and 2004 (0.45-0.17 TLU/ ha, O'Reagain & Bushell, 2011). For example, the less climatically stable areas have the lowest cattle densities(Sloat et al, 2018). For instance, pastoralists may not be able to sell their animals because of abattoirs reaching full capacity (Commonwealth of Australia, 2016b).In this study, the herd was managed to prevent excessive land degradation.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Climate change and variability impacts on grazing herds: Insights from a system dynamics approach for semi‐arid Australian rangelands

Godde

Dizyee

Ash

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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Grazing livestock are an important source of food and income for millions of people worldwide. Changes in mean climate and increasing climate variability are affecting grasslands' carrying capacity, thus threatening the livelihood of millions of people as well as the health of grassland ecosystems. Compared with cropping systems, relatively little is known about the impact of such climatic changes on grasslands and livestock productivity and the adaptation responses available to farmers. In this study, we analysed the relationship between changes in mean precipitation, precipitation variability, farming practices and grazing cattle using a system dynamics approach for a semi‐arid Australian rangeland system. We found that forage production and animal stocking rates were significantly affected by drought intensities and durations as well as by long‐term climate trends. After a drought event, herd size recovery times ranged from years to decades in the absence of proactive restocking through animal purchases. Decreases in the annual precipitation means or increases in the interannual (year‐to‐year) and intra‐annual (month‐to‐month) precipitation variability, all reduced herd sizes. The contribution of farming practices versus climate effect on herd dynamics varied depending on the herd characteristics considered. Climate contributed the most to the variance in stocking rates, followed by forage productivity levels and feeding supplementation practices (with or without urea and molasses). While intensification strategies and favourable climates increased long‐term herd sizes, they also resulted in larger reductions in animal numbers during droughts and raised total enteric methane emissions. In the face of future climate trends, the grazing sector will need to increase its adaptability. Understanding which farming strategies can be beneficial, where, and when, as well as the enabling mechanisms required to implement them, will be critical for effectively improving rangelands and the livelihoods of pastoralists worldwide.

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“…Namibia, north-east Kenya and south Argentina; Sloat et al, 2018). Namibia, north-east Kenya and south Argentina; Sloat et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sahel, Somalia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Australia; Sloat et al, 2018). Sahel, Somalia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Australia; Sloat et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate change and variability impacts on grazing herds: Insights from a system dynamics approach for semi‐arid Australian rangelands

Godde

Dizyee

Ash

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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“…), forage, and livestock productivity linked to increased PPT variability (Sloat et al. ). Because water‐limited semiarid regions are particularly vulnerable to future PPT changes, a pressing need has emerged to predict how these regions will respond to forecast changes in PPT, as this has implications for future ecosystem dynamics that now extend from local to global scales (Poulter et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Semiarid ecosystem sensitivity to precipitation extremes: weak evidence for vegetation constraints

Felton

Zavislan‐Pullaro

Smith

2019

Ecology

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In semiarid regions, vegetation constraints on plant growth responses to precipitation (PPT) are hypothesized to place an upper limit on net primary productivity (NPP), leading to predictions of future shifts from currently defined linear to saturating NPP–PPT relationships as increases in both dry and wet PPT extremes occur. We experimentally tested this prediction by imposing a replicated gradient of growing season PPT (GSP, n = 11 levels, n = 4 replicates), ranging from the driest to wettest conditions in the 75‐yr climate record, within a semiarid grassland. We focused on responses of two key ecosystem processes: aboveground NPP (ANPP) and soil respiration (Rs). ANPP and Rs both exhibited greater relative responses to wet vs. dry GSP extremes, with a linear relationship consistently best explaining the response of both processes to GSP. However, this responsiveness to GSP peaked at moderate levels of extremity for both processes, and declined at the most extreme GSP levels, suggesting that greater sensitivity of ANPP and Rs to wet vs. dry conditions may diminish under increased magnitudes of GSP extremes. Underlying these responses was rapid plant compositional change driven by increased forb production and cover as GSP transitioned to extreme wet conditions. This compositional shift increased the magnitude of ANPP responses to wet GSP extremes, as well as the slope and variability explained in the ANPP–GSP relationship. Our findings suggest that rapid plant compositional change may act as a mediator of semiarid ecosystem responses to predicted changes in GSP extremes.

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Production environment and managerial techniques in explaining productivity growth in Brazilian beef cattle production

2021

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Brazil is a key player in the global beef markets having generated 15% of global production, and approximately 20% of world exports in 2018. Productivity improvements will be indispensable if the Brazilian beef sector wants to maintain its position as a key player in both the domestic and international markets. In light of the aforementioned, this study makes two key contributions to the agricultural productivity literature on Brazil. First, it estimates the production technology used in the Brazilian beef cattle sector using stochastic production frontier methods that account for exogenous factors that impact the production environment. Second, using the estimated coefficients as weights, it decomposes a total factor productivity (TFP) index that tracks various sources of productivity growth including: technical efficiency, technological change, scale efficiency, and environmental efficiency. By utilizing farm‐level data this study generates deeper insights into the dynamics driving beef cattle production at the most disaggregated level. Results indicate that TFP growth averaged 1.73% per annum and was primarily driven by scale efficiency, which increased at 1.39%. Meanwhile, technical efficiency declined at a rate of −0.03% per annum. [EconLit Citations: D24, O13, Q15].

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Increasing importance of precipitation variability on global livestock grazing lands

Cited by 182 publications

References 38 publications

Climate change and variability impacts on grazing herds: Insights from a system dynamics approach for semi‐arid Australian rangelands

Climate change and variability impacts on grazing herds: Insights from a system dynamics approach for semi‐arid Australian rangelands

Semiarid ecosystem sensitivity to precipitation extremes: weak evidence for vegetation constraints

Production environment and managerial techniques in explaining productivity growth in Brazilian beef cattle production

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