Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
4.4 POLICY OPTIONS TO ENHANCE GRASSLAND
ECOSYSTEM SUSTAINABILITY
Through a long history, agriculture policy has been crop focused. Livestock and
forage-based agriculture have received less attention and resources. Moving for-
ward, the earth's grazing lands require a commitment to regional and national
approaches to development that address the intertwined issues of poverty, malnutri-
tion and health challenges, and land degradation in pastoral regions. Increasingly,
national and international organizations are adopting policies that aim to develop
rural economies and improve livelihoods through increasing agricultural productiv-
ity, ensuring food security, and enhancing the sustainable use and management of
natural resources. Issues addressed in these policies may include land tenure, credit,
market access, education, information dissemination, as well as food and health pro-
grams, to programs for monitoring of natural resources.
Global climate change policy can potentially have a large impact on the world's
grassland systems. Many of the interventions to improve the productivity of degraded
soil and vegetation can offer co-benefits of increased carbon sequestration in soils and
woody vegetation (IPCC 2007). To find a way to reward smallholder pastoralists in
global carbon markets, methods are required to quantify carbon sequestration in soils
and vegetation that is associated with management changes or interventions (Perez et
al. 2007). Abberton et al. (2010) summarized the state of knowledge to establish the
needed monitoring and reporting systems for carbon sequestration in grasslands. They
described the multiple ways in which grassland management practices that enhance
SOC sequestration can result in greater biodiversity, improved water resources with
respect to both quantity (reduced runoff and evaporation or flood control) and quality
(reduced or diffused pollution of waterways), and restoration of degraded land.
Neely et al. (2009) made the case for policies to reward use of practices that
sequester carbon in grassland ecosystems and observed the following:
Climate change, biodiversity loss, drought, and desertification are inter-
related symptoms of unsustainable land management resulting in loss of
agricultural productivity, reduced capacity to sustain rural livelihoods, and
increased risk of, and vulnerability to, natural and human disasters.
Livestock are an irreplaceable source of livelihoods for the poor.
Drylands occupy 41% of the earth's land area, and therefore, better manage-
ment can sustain livelihoods of millions of people.
Grasslands, by their extensive nature, hold enormous potential to serve as
one of the greatest terrestrial sinks for carbon.
Appropriate grassland management practices contribute to adaptation and
mitigation, as well as increasing productivity and food security and reduc-
ing risks of drought and flooding.
Livestock play an important role in carbon sequestration through improved
pasture and rangeland management.
Enabling grassland and livestock stewards to manage the vast grasslands
for both productivity and carbon sequestration requires a global coordi-
nated effort to overcome sociopolitical and economic barriers.
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