Desertification is a menace in semi-arid and arid Mediterranean zones. Its causes are complex, but it is generally the result of the combined assault of climatic variability, and demographic human and animal pressure-including overgrazing. These have led to considerable damage to rangeland soil, water and feed resources.
ICARDA and Tunisia have just held a meeting of experts from 24 countries to discuss one weapon in their war against desertification-shrubs. And the meeting was not just for scientists; it involved farmers from nine countries, and NGOs from four.
Native or exotic shrubs could play an important role in rehabilitation programs of marginal lands and rangelands in these zones, not only as a feed and fuel reserves but also in soil and water conservation in environmentally-degraded areas. But, as with any technology, it is important to exchange experiences so that problems are not solved twice, or unnecessary research carried out. To this end, the Pasture, Forage and Livestock Program of ICARDA and the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture have just held the Regional Training Workshop on Native and Exotic Fodder Shrubs in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones, at Hammamet, Tunisia, from 27 October-2 November 1996. Other organizations also assisted (see footnote).
One of the farmers attending was Mr Faysal Al-Ahmad Ibn Nuri, who is also head of the Jub Ahmad Almsha'el Cooperative for Sheep Breeding and Range Amelioration, in Aleppo Province, Northwest Syria. "I own 1,100 sheep," he said before the meeting. "My extended family had traditional control of 40,000 hectares in the low-rainfall area [below 200 mm mean rainfall], for grazing and for some barley cultivation prior to 1994/95, when the latter was prohibited."
He described how Government shrub plantations had been established on a total of 14,300 hectares of the family's land. Shrub plantations to provide feed at lean times, when sheep are hungry and the vegetation is vulnerable, are an important part of Syria's rangeland strategy. ICARDA is collaborating in this.
"In April 1995, I leased 900 hectares for one month of grazing in the government plantation at Maragha. It was a dry year and grazing inside the plantation was good at first; milk production increased. Towards the end of the month, however, milk production fell back as the green grasses turned yellow. Because of the salty soils ins the plantation area, I had to offer one meal of fodder to the sheep every day and double the normal amount of water- each sheep drank 11 liters per day." However, he is in favor of shrubs as a possible solution to desertification. "I think good rangelands should be managed better, and all shrub-cutting prohibited. Poor rangelands, which have been denuded of vegetation or have salty soils, could be the targets of shrub plantations."
Another farmer was Mr Rob Von Holdt, from the Karoo region of South Africa. He is also an active member of Somerset East Farmer's Association and Organised Agriculture. The role of this organization is to promote economic fodder-shrub establishment and management. Rob Van Holdt focused his presentation to the workshop on on-going efforts to reduce cost of planting the Atriplex plantations and maximize the establishment rate. Mechanization over the last 25 years, he reported, meant that handling of seed had been achieved at an acceptable cost. And he has developed a simpler, cheaper method to establish fodder shrubs plantations by direct drilling of dehusked and pelleted seeds.
Participants from Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, and Tunisia also gave presentations on their experiences with shrubs. In these countries, intensive efforts are being deployed to introduce fodder shrubs on a commercial scale. Revegetation of denuded areas, filling seasonal feed-gaps, and strategic reserves for drought management are examples of the various roles fodder shrubs play. But there is a clear need for more research on the management and use of fodder shrub species.
International experience on fodder shrubs was discussed during the morning session of the second day. Presentations were made summarizing the experiences from five parts of the world: the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region; Southern Europe; South Africa; South America; and Australia. The whole group then left on a two-day field trip to central and southern Tunisia, hosted by the Tunisian authorities.
A total of 113 participants from 24 countries attended the workshop. Countries represented included: Algeria (4), Australia (2), Chile (1), Egypt (8), France (7), Greece (3), Iran (2), Iraq (1), Japan (1), Jordan (4), Kazakhstan (1), Lebanon (1), Libya (2), Morocco (15), Pakistan (2), Senegal (2), South Africa (3), Spain (3), Syria (9), Tunisia (21), Turkey (1), United Kingdom (2), United States (1), Uzbekistan (2). Farmers came from Morocco (2 farmers), Syria (3), Jordan (1), Australia (1), South Africa (1), Tunisia (1), France (1), Egypt (3), and Senegal (1) NGOs came from Morocco (2), Jordan (1), Pakistan (1), and Tunisia (1).
Note to Editors:The Regional Training Workshop on Native and Exotic Fodder Shrubs in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones was jointly sponsored by ICARDA, Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Mediterraneenes (CIHEAM), SDC (the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), IDRC (Canada's International Development and Research Center), International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), and FAO.