On August 25, BVO conducted rangeland management and protection training for the local community members. The training was attended by 50 members representing farmers and pastoralists. The community was also trained in the combination of traditional practices and modern rangeland management such as enclosure, rotational grazing, direct seeding, de-bushing, and fire management.
Enclosure: Participants were taught that enclosure is one of the most effective restoration and rehabilitation strategies for degraded rangelands.
The facilitator trained participants on both communal and private enclosures and mentioned that the communal enclosure was the most important one and needed to be applied by the community.
Rational Grazing: The facilitator explained that rational grazing is the process of dividing your pasture into portions, and animals can move from one portion to the next. He mentioned that rational grazing provides quality forage production for livestock, increases drought management, improves soil fertility, and simplifies animal monitoring.
Direct seeding: Participants discussed and presented what they knew about direct seeding and how they practiced it.
According to the trainer, direct seeding is the process of sowing seeds directly into the soil, and it can be accomplished simply by using one’s hands to virtually recreate and mix vegetation.
He added that in direct seeding, trees, and shrubs grow healthier root systems, it is easy to launch a diversity of species, it is effective in areas of restoration, and it is cheaper than planting.
De-bushing and fire management: The facilitator demonstrated best practices for de-bushing as well as fire protection and management to the participants.