Livestock-Crop Interactions: The case of Green Stage Barley Grazing

Abstract

Immature barley crops are frequently grazed by sheep in the winter months then left to mature for grain harvest. ICARDA is conducting research on several aspects of this phenomenon, including breeding efforts to produce superior “dual-purpose” barley cultivars, experiments on agronomic practices and physiological processes, and socio-economic surveys and analyses of the larger barley/sheep production contexts. This paper complements the above research by specifying a bio-economic model which links grazing and feeds purchase decisions to farm tenure arrangements, alternative feed prices, crop growth conditions, and crop and sheep responses to various grazing intensities. In the process of outlining such an explicit model, gaps in our knowledge come into focus. This should stimulate constructive criticism of the model and support the aim of making ICARDA’s research efforts on “dual-purpose” barley and sheep husbandry more effective.