The utilization of fodder shrubs (Atriplex spp., Salso vermiculata) by agro-pastoralists in the northern Syrian steppe
1995
Leybourne, M. | Ghassali, F. | Osman, A. | Nordblom, T. | Gintzburger, G. (ICARDA, Aleppo (Syria))
In 1972, the Syrian government started an experimental project in the 180-120 mm rainfall zone, looking at the growth and survival rates of shrubs such as Atriplex spp. and Sasola vermiculata. Simultaneously, a number of pilot private shrub plantations were established with the cooperation of agro-pastoralists. In 1993, a law was passed restricting cultivation of cereals and especially barley in the steppe to 45 ha per family, with the requirement that 30 percent of this land be planted with fodder shrubs as fodder reserves. To implement this, this government provided seedlings to farmers with cereal cultivation licenses, and in some cases supervised the planting of the shrub seedings undertaken by the agro-pastoralists. In spite of the apparent advantages of fodder shrub reserves in the integration of crop-livestock systems, and individual plantations, few private plantations still exist in northern Syria. Socio-economic studies contributed little to the diets of sheep flocks in areas where many plantations were established during the 1980s. It is important to understand the reasons for both success and failure in order to reduce natural resource degradation and improve the sustainability of rangeland systems in Syria, and in the Middle East in general. This study presents the results of a 1993 survey in an attempt to answer the following questions: why have most fodder shrubs plantations not survived? How do land users in northern Syria view shrubs, and what management strategies do they use with plantations which will exist?
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