Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
PRINCIPALS OF ENVIRONMENTAL
ENHANCEMENT
B
IOTIC
C
OMPONENT
The biotic component of a system is that of living organ-
isms, plants, and animals. The herbivore, through brows-
ing and grazing, affects frequency of plants grazed or
browsed, the degree of vegetation removed, plant species
selected, and the quality and quantity of vegetation grazed.
Other biotic factors include pollination and seed scattering
by animals. Decomposition of organic matter is performed
through other organisms such as earthworms, nematodes,
protozoa, bacteria, or actinomycetes that consume dead
material and render it useful.
Goats as Tools
Energy, in pastoral-type agriculture, is universal and can
be used, stored, concentrated, or spread; the primary source
is the sun. To use the natural energy fl ow effi ciently, it is
vital to control the time of grazing/browsing, the area to
be grazed/browsed, the season of grazing/browsing, the
plant species to be grazed/browsed, and the goat(s) that are
being used for land management applications (Smith,
1986 ).
The use of goats in vegetative management can take on
many diverse avenues. Goats can be used for noxious
weed abatement, rejuvenation of abandoned and eroded
lands, edging back of woody and forb species, fi re break-
ing and fuel load reduction, poisonous/toxic plant eradica-
tion, and enhancement of timber-producing forests through
silvopasture and agroforestry techniques eliminating com-
petition of unwanted species. Goats can stabilize stream
banks and riparian areas, clean along irrigation ditches,
minimize old fence lines, clear farm ponds, create fl yways
for ducks and geese along with landscaping around homes,
and clean land in citrus orchards, nut farms, and
vineyards.
The management criterion is to never underestimate the
nutritional value of plants and vegetative regrowth, and to
encourage a change of regression plant communities into
succession plant communities. Biodiversity of vegetation
provides year-round selection for goats avoiding problems
such as those associated with monocultures.
Along with all of the goats' vegetative activities, they
provide mankind with meat, milk, fi ber, skins, and many
other products (soap, cheese, creams, drums, gloves, etc.)
used to enhance our lives. The goat is truly an opportunity
for man to manage.
A
BIOTIC
C
OMPONENTS
The abiotic components of a system (that is, the nonliving
environment and exchange material) affect vegetative dis-
tribution. These factors include the topography, altitude,
exposure, insolation, precipitation, evaporation, evapo-
transpiration, and soil. The water cycle is driven by energy
from the sun, and its distribution affects vegetation more
than any other single environmental factor. There is a
continuum between the soil, plants, animals, and the
atmosphere.
Plant growth requirements include sunlight and the
ability of the soil to provide moisture, support, protection,
and nutrients. The type of vegetation that develops in an
area is determined by soil characteristics such as texture,
depth, slope, organic matter, pH, and chemical composi-
tion. These soil characteristics are determined by soil for-
mation, which is affected by climate, vegetation, parent
material, topography, time, and soil organisms.
There are many environmental factors that affect veg-
etation distribution in relation to pasturelands and range-
lands management. These factors include topography,
slope, precipitation, wind erosion, and soil mineral content.
The plant community and the factors that infl uence those
communities are important in land enhancement manage-
ment decisions.
S
OIL
N
UTRIENT
R
EDISTRIBUTION
AND
P
ASTURE
H
EALTH
Grazing/browsing management can improve soil fertility
as it increases the amount of organic matter in the soil. As
the percent of organic matter by weight increases, the
percent of water-holding capacity by volume and the
extensive root system of plants increase. If a specifi c nutri-
ent in the soil is lacking, it can be added to the goats' free
choice chelated loose mineral supplement, and in turn it
can be deposited back into the soil. Soil receives its nutri-
ents from the weathering of parent materials, cropping
practices, rain, dust, and wind and those nutrients are recy-
cled by plant roots in the subsoil. Livestock deposit miner-
als in the manure. Animals consume approximately 5 - 7 kg
A Synergistic Process in Motion
The integration of knowledge from separate disciplines
such as ecology, plant physiology, hydrology, climatology,
forestry, soil science, economics, animal science, sociol-
ogy, and wildlife equals the ecosystem foundation blocks
of water and mineral cycles, succession, and energy. All
factors affect vegetation distribution and makeup of the
various plant communities. Understanding the basic forces
acting on an agricultural enterprise is important. The small
amounts of energy input act as an amplifi cation factor
thereby increasing the amount of sunlight harvested and
converted to a useable and marketable form.
