Optimization of Rangeland Management Strategies under Rainfall and Price Risks

Carande, V. G.; Barlett, E. Tom; Gutierrez, Paul H.

doi:10.2307/4002507

Cited by 16 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Farm management models useful for integrated land-use modeling must simulate interrelated farm management choices, primarily selection of crops and rotations, and also choices of input levels and production technologies. Mathematical programming models for typical Great Plains farm and ranch types have been developed (Burt and Allison 1963, Carrande 1992, Young et al 1982. More recently, using a method called discrete, stochastic sequential programming (Rae 1971), Young and colleagues modeled crop and technology choice and water use on lands irrigated from the Ogallala Aquifer in eastern Colorado.…”

Section: Models Of Farm and Ranch Management The Land-use Inputs Necmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated Modeling of Land Use and Cover Change

Riebsame¹,

Parton²,

Galvin³

et al. 1994

BioScience

101

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

land-cover change is an important ingredient in the larger problem of global environmental change. Land-use patterns, driven by a variety of social processes, result in land-cover changes that affect biodiversity, water and radiation budgets, trace-gas emissions, and other factors that, cumulatively, alter the global climate and biosphere. Most research on global environmental change has focused on the causes and impacts of global climate change and ozone depletion, with less attention to biodiversity trends. Land-use and land-cover studies have been entrained in this work only secondarily, for example, to calculate the rate of loss of tropical forests or to assess habitat fragmentation. Land-use and land-cover change is gaining recognition as a key driver of environmental change. The re-W. E. Riebsame is an associate professor in the Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309. W. J. Parton is a professor in the Department of Rangeland and Ecosystem Science, K. A. Galvin is a research scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, I. C. Burke is an associate professor in the Department of Forest Sciences, L. Bohren is a research associate in the Department of Industrial Science, R. Young is a professor emeritus in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and E.

show abstract

Section: Models Of Farm and Ranch Management The Land-use Inputs Necmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated Modeling of Land Use and Cover Change

Riebsame¹,

Parton²,

Galvin³

et al. 1994

BioScience

101

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, Behnke et al (1993) and Scoones (1994), in African savannas, found that grazing management utilizing high stocking rates annually adjusted to forage productivity variation showed the highest economic benefits. Carande et al (1995) suggested that high stocking rates can give better economic results than moderate or low stocking rates only in environments with a low risk of drought occurrences. Therefore, because droughts are frequent in arid and semiarid regions (Noy-Meir 1973), high stocking rates would not be recommended.…”

Section: Grazing Strategy and Economic Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Case Study Evaluating Economic Implications of Two Grazing Strategies for Cattle Ranches in Northwest Argentina

Quiroga

Blanco

Ferrando

2009

Rangeland Ecology & Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the Argentinean Chaco Arido region, cattle production based on cow-calf operations is the principal source of agricultural income, and rangeland is the main forage source for cattle. Traditional grazing strategy (TGS, high stocking rate and continuous grazing) is considered the main cause of current rangeland degradation. Research shows that rangeland and cattle production improvements are possible when using a conservative grazing strategy (CGS, moderate stocking rate and rest rotation grazing). The aim of this research was to compare the effects of TGS and CGS applications on economic results for a cattle ranch in the region. To achieve this objective we used an approach that included estimations of forage and cattle production, and economic results. The study period was 1972/73-1983/84. Results showed that during the study period forage production and herd size were almost doubled with CGS, but maintained with TGS. The difference in net income between CGS and TGS (in Argentinean pesos, $), increased linearly from negative (2$2.88 ? ha 21) to positive ($4.48 ? ha 21) in the first 4 yr, and then was maintained at positive values (averaging $4.48 ? ha 21). Data suggest that CGS leads to higher productivity and better economic results than TGS in the medium and long terms. Resumen En la región del Chaco Á rido Argentino, la ganadería de cría es la actividad agropecuaria más difundida. Esta actividad se basa principalmente en el forraje que proporciona el pastizal nativo. La estrategia de pastoreo tradicional (EPT, consistente de alta carga animal y pastoreo continuo), se considera la causa principal del estado de degradación actual del pastizal nativo. Varios estudios han mostrado que el mejoramiento de la productividad del pastizal y del ganado es posible cuando se utiliza una estrategia de pastoreo conservativa (EPC, consistente en carga animal moderada y un pastoreo que permita descanso del pastizal en época de crecimiento). El objetivo de esta investigación fue comparar el efecto de la EPT y la EPC sobre el aspecto económico de un rancho ganadero de la región del Chaco Á rido. Para lograr dicho objetivo se hizo un análisis en distintas etapas, estimación de la producción forrajera, estimación de la producción ganadera, y estimación del resultado económico. El periodo de estudio fue desde 1972/73 hasta 1983/84. Los resultados mostraron que durante el periodo de estudio la producción de forraje y el tamañ o del rodeo se duplicaron para la EPC, mientras que para EPT se mantuvieron. La diferencia en el resultado económico neto entre la EPC y la EPT (en pesos Argentinos, $), se incrementó linealmente desde valores negativos (2$2.88 ? ha 21) a valores positivos ($4.48 ? ha 21) en los cuatro primeros añ os, para luego mantenerse en un valor promedio de $4.48 ? ha 21. Los resultados sugieren que la EPC permite obtener una productividad más alta y mejores resultados económicos que la EPT a mediano y largo plazo.

show abstract

“…The rancher has to cope with a highly variable and unpredictable inter-annual rainfall (Walker et al, 1981;Pickup and Stafford Smith, 1993), which is the primary determinant of rangeland productivity (Fynn and O'Connor, 2000), and meat price fluctuations, which are caused by global market fluctuations (Campbell et al, 2006;Gross et al, 2006). Under these conditions, it is widely accepted that range management should aim at robustness and adaptability (Carande et al, 1995;Berkes et al, 2000;Vetter, 2005). Robustness measures the ability of the management actions to maintain the system in desired conditions, despite uncertain environment (Anderies et al, , 2013Rougé et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Robustness and management adaptability in tropical rangelands: a viability-based assessment under the non-equilibrium paradigm

Accatino

Sabatier

Michele

et al. 2014

Animal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rangelands provide the main forage resource for livestock in many parts of the world, but maintaining long-term productivity and providing sufficient income for the rancher remains a challenge. One key issue is to maintain the rangeland in conditions where the rancher has the greatest possibility to adapt his/her management choices to a highly fluctuating and uncertain environment. In this study, we address management robustness and adaptability, which increase the resilience of a rangeland. After reviewing how the concept of resilience evolved in parallel to modelling views on rangelands, we present a dynamic model of rangelands to which we applied the mathematical framework of viability theory to quantify the management adaptability of the system in a stochastic environment. This quantification is based on an index that combines the robustness of the system to rainfall variability and the ability of the rancher to adjust his/her management through time. We evaluated the adaptability for four possible scenarios combining two rainfall regimes (high or low) with two herding strategies (grazers only or mixed herd). Results show that pure grazing is viable only for high-rainfall regimes, and that the use of mixed-feeder herds increases the adaptability of the management. The management is the most adaptive with mixed herds and in rangelands composed of an intermediate density of trees and grasses. In such situations, grass provides high quantities of biomass and woody plants ensure robustness to droughts. Beyond the implications for management, our results illustrate the relevance of viability theory for addressing the issue of robustness and adaptability in non-equilibrium environments.

show abstract

Optimization of Rangeland Management Strategies under Rainfall and Price Risks

Cited by 16 publications

References 5 publications

Integrated Modeling of Land Use and Cover Change

Integrated Modeling of Land Use and Cover Change

A Case Study Evaluating Economic Implications of Two Grazing Strategies for Cattle Ranches in Northwest Argentina

Robustness and management adaptability in tropical rangelands: a viability-based assessment under the non-equilibrium paradigm

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About