World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008 - (Page 22)

Livestock & Land Problem: Pastureland is degraded through overgrazing and erosion Much of the grazing land in developing countries is communal, which makes it very difficult to manage. With so many people needing fodder and room to roam for their animals, it’s sometimes difficult to identify just who is responsible if the land is overused. Solution 1: less is more In many cases, encouraging pastoral farmers to breed fewer animals will protect pasture and grazing lands from the weight of too many hooves, while also ensuring more productivity. © 2008 Jupiterimages Corporation Solution 2: Zero-grazing Animals kept in zero-grazing pens won’t overgraze, or pack down the soil. Feed is brought to them, but the animals leave their pens daily for exercise. These pens also make it easy to collect manure for fertilizer or to use in bio-gas digesters. Solution 3: rotational grazing Well-planned movement of herds from field to field helps keep land healthy and improves the utilization of grass varieties. The livestock industry also pollutes and depletes the water supply. Seventy percent of water use worldwide is attributed to the agriculture industry, of which the livestock sector is an expanding part. And a stunning 93 percent of water depletion—water that won’t be used again—is blamed on the agriculture industry. By comparison, the domestic sector is responsible for only 10 percent of water use and 3 percent of water depletion. While only a negligible amount of this is used as drinking water for livestock, and for cleaning them and their housing, the amount used for the entire production cycle—feeding, slaughtering, packaging, transporting and tanning—is significant. The report notes that a typical person uses between 8 and 80 gallons of water daily, yet the amount needed to grow a day’s supply of food for that person is about 750 gallons. Even more significant, the report noted, is the extent to which the industry pollutes the water supply, as animal waste often enters the water system in high concentrations. lastly, the report addresses biodiversity, the proliferation of species that make up healthy ecosystems. It contends that during the many steps in the animal production chain, the livestock industry contributes to the global loss of biodiversity by damaging ecosystems through improper land use, contributing to climate change, polluting ecosystems with waste, and selective breeding and monoculture. 22 May/June 2008 | WOrlD Ark www.heifer.org http://www.heifer.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008

World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008 Contents Letters For the Record The Good Life Asked & Answered Why Water Matters The Carbon Hoofprint From Farm to Table Healing History Mixed Media Heifer Spirit Heifer Bulletin World Ark Market Calendar First Person

World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008

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