Understanding stocking rate in response to supplementary feed in Inner Mongolia, China
Saheed Olaide Jimoh A B , Yantin Yin A , Ping Li A , Taofeek Olatunbosun Muraina C D and Xiangyang Hou A E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Grassland Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration, Ministry of Agriculture, 120 East Wulanchabu Street, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 010010, China.
B Sustainable Environment Food and Agriculture Initiative, Lagos, 104101, Nigeria.
C Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 12, Zhhongguancun South Street, Haidian District, Beijing, PR China.
D Department of Animal Health and Production Technology, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, P.M.B. 10, Igbo-Ora, Oyo State, Nigeria.
E Corresponding author. Email: houxy16@126.com
The Rangeland Journal 42(2) 135-142 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ19084
Submitted: 20 November 2019 Accepted: 1 July 2020 Published: 21 July 2020
Abstract
In grazing systems, stocking rate (SR) is critical for the maintenance of grassland and livestock productivity. However, little is known about the relationship between the amount of supplementary feed used by livestock producers and SR, particularly across the pastoral areas of Inner Mongolia, China. This limits the understanding of whether feed supplements impact SR. Therefore, we studied 716 herding households using a two-round panel dataset collected across the five ecosystem types in Inner Mongolia. We used linear mixed-effects models to examine how the amount of supplementary feeds affects SR. Our results show that feed supplementation is not associated with increased SR across the grassland ecosystems. The amount of grains and pellets used by households was negatively related to SR, whereas the amount of hay was not correlated with SR. Overall, these results demonstrate that feed supplementation did not influence herders’ decision to overgraze. Thus, policies that underpin the scientific exploration of novel approaches to supplementary feed use in grazing systems are required. This could help achieve environmental sustainability and enhance the attainment of the desired modern livestock production system in Inner Mongolia and similar ecosystems.
Additional keywords: grassland, grazing systems, herders, livestock.
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