Improvement of Grazing Lands for Better Livestock Production--A Case Study from Chitradurga District in India

Chitradurga is a highly drought prone district in the central dry zone of Karnataka, India, with a normal rainfall of 530 mm per annum. Over 85 per cent of cultivable area is rainfed and the livestock plays a vital role in rural income generation in this district. Improper management and overgrazing have resulted in most of the grazing resources declining to a poor, degraded condition. Regeneration of pasture land was vital in the villages due to three reasons - a) people's livelihood dependency on livestock was considerable b) small ruminants played a vital role for landless farmers and c) lack of adequate fodder was a prime factor for low livestock productivity. To improve the livelihood of livestock farmers, a few interventions were made under World Bank funded National Agricultural Innovation Project through consortium approach in 10 project villages. Frequent interactions were held with the local livestock farmers to discuss about the importance of increasing the fodder resources in the villages to improve the income and to sustain their livelihood. They realized the importance of fodder and came forward to take up cultivation of perennial fodders and also, for the revitalization of grazing lands, locally known as kavals. The primary survey in the villages indicated that about 90 to 96 per cent of the small ruminant holders are dependent on these common property grazing resources for the fodder needs. The High Level Panel of Experts on food security and nutrition, constituted by FAO, has emphasized the importance of extending appropriate technologies and inputs, providing the needed credit and ensuring assured and remunerative marketing opportunities to the smallholders (HLPE, 2013). Such measures are also essential for revitalizing the degraded grasslands in this region.