Livestock keeping

There are three types of livestock keeping:

1. zero grazing
2. free-range rearing
3. nomadic pastoralism

Zero grazing

In zero grazing, animals are kept and fed in a confined place. This type of grazing allows one to keep only a few animals. Sometimes, cattle, goats and sheep are kept on large farms owned by the state, companies or some individuals. These farms are called ranches. Examples of such ranches in Tanzania are in Kongwa District and West Kilimanjaro.

Free-range rearing

In this kind of animal rearing, pastoralists take their livestock into grazing areas in the morning and take them back home in the evening.

Nomadic pastoralism

In this kind of livestock keeping, pastoralists move with their livestock from place to place, looking for pasture and water. Figure 2 shows pastoralists grazing livestock. Sometimes, pastoralists walk a long distance before they reach a place where pasture and water are available. In Tanzania, livestock keeping is common in Mwanza, Mara, Shinyanga, Tabora, Singida, Dodoma, Kilimanjaro and Arusha. Some of the ethnic groups which practise nomadic pastoralism are the Masai, Barbaig, Sukuma, Nyamwezi, Meru and Gogo.

Livestock keeping provides various benefits, including:

1. Provision of Animal Products – Livestock supplies essential products such as:

   • Meat and milk – Used as food sources.
   • Animal skins – Used to make shoes, bags, belts, and drums.
   • Hoofs – Used in the production of glue.
   • Manure – Used to improve soil fertility in crop farming.

2. Source of Food and Income – Livestock products contribute to household nutrition and serve as a source of income for farmers.

3. Foreign and Domestic Currency – Selling livestock and dairy products generates foreign and domestic earnings, boosting the economy.

If not properly managed, livestock keeping can lead to environmental degradation in several ways:

1. Overgrazing – Keeping too many animals in a small area leads to:

   • Destruction of vegetation cover, leaving the land bare.
   • Compaction of soil, making it difficult for vegetation to grow.
   • Soil erosion due to exposure to wind and water.

2. Silting of Water Bodies – Eroded soil from overgrazed lands gets deposited in dams and water reservoirs, leading to:

   • Silting, which reduces water storage capacity.
   • Drying up of dams and reservoirs, causing water shortages for humans, livestock, and other organisms.

3. Deforestation Due to Nomadic Pastoralism –

   • Pastoralists cut down trees to establish temporary settlements and kraals for their animals.
   • They also use trees for firewood, leading to continuous environmental degradation as they move from place to place.

There are various ways to control the effects of poor livestock keeping on the environment.

1. One of the strategies is to avoid keeping a large size of livestock in a small area. Reducing the size of livestock will ensure that the grazing area is enough for the number of animals kept. This will significantly reduce soil erosion. For this to be successful it is important to educate livestock keepers on the advantages of keeping few quality animals, which will produce better products such as milk, meat and skin.
2. Another strategy is zero grazing; livestock are kept at home and in small numbers. Also, ranching can be used to keep animals in a specified area and fed on hay.