Pasture development for community livestock production in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

We have raised the profile of forage management for animal feed amongst the communities through workshops and meetings, both in the community lands, and on nearby Department of Agriculture Research Stations. In six communities in the target regions of the Eastern Cape we have arrangements in place for arable lands to be set aside for experiments, fenced and prepared for legume introduction experiments. We have identified two MSc students from the community backgrounds, enrolled them at local Universities, and defined their research projects around some key aspects of legume ecology. We have put in place a strong sociology team that encompasses representatives of the local communities, end-user and next user groups. The sociology group has met with the target communities on 12 separate occasions in this reporting period.
At three community sites we have sown (in Autumn 2007) annual legumes and (in Spring 2007) sub-tropical legumes selected on the basis of three small plot experiments sown on nearby Research Stations in Spring 2006. Despite severe winter conditions and some uncontrolled grazing events, several species in the autumn sowings have flourished and are setting appreciable quantities of seed. Scientific reports on the ECCAL project have been presented to the International Nitrogen fixation Conference in Capetown in January 2007, and the South African Grasslands Society meeting at Grahamstown, July 2007. The opportunity to use the successful legumes in neighbouring veld rangeland is being openly discussed.
At three Research Stations we have sown a wide range of sub-tropical and temperate forage legumes, with and without inoculation with rhizobium, and applications of phosphorus, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of legume response to the soils and climate. In Australia, we have transitioned 10 new legume species collected in RSA through Bio-security Australia, and WAQIS, have conducted controlled rhizobium experiments with them, and arranged seed increase activities for the most promising five species through DAFWA. A botanical survey in the target regions has revealed the complete absence of forage legumes in the grazing lands. These lands (veld) are rangelands dominated by relatively low quality perennial grass species, which are nitrogen limited, and provide very little feed in the critical winter months. The logistics for a major seed and rhizobium collecting expedition for the project have been planned, and will be undertaken in November 2007.

The project aims to increase household livelihoods from livestock production in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Livestock (and wool) production in this region is currently based upon summer growing perennial grasses of varying quality, which deteriorate rapidly in autumn, and senesce in winter. The project will increase animal productivity by developing legume pasture species capable of growing in the cool months and alleviating the autumn / winter feed gap currently limiting sheep / wool production. The first challenge to the project has been to engage rural communities who wish to participate in the forage improvement research. This has been achieved and we are working with six communities spread across the former Ciskei / Transkei regions. The second challenge has been to determine the types of legumes that will be suited to the climatic and soil constraints of the region. Because the climate transitions the classic temperate and sub-tropical definition, we have found it necessary to investigate a wide range of species sown both within, and outside, their normal growing conditions. From October 2006 until May 2008 we have sown both sub-tropical and temperate legumes in comparison trials established in autumn and again in spring. We have also compared effects of inoculation with rhizobium and application of phosphate fertiliser. These trials have been sown within each community, as well as at three Department of Agriculture Research Stations that service the region.
Despite a very dry winter of 2007, establishment of legumes at most of the sites has been satisfactory, and at some sites, excellent (see attached photos). Interestingly, some annual legumes of Mediterranean origin have 'perenniated' through relatively mild summers in 2006/07, and 2007/08. As well, the seeds and inoculant of some sub-tropical legumes which failed to germinate in autumn 2007 because of drought, have survived to grow through the summer. Specifically, two species of Ornithopus (serradella), two species of Trifolium (clovers) and Biserrula pelecinus, which are hard seeded annual legumes from the Mediterranean basin, as well as Lotus, Lespedeza, Coronilla varia and Desmodium subsericeum, which are temperate perennial legumes, have emerged as strong candidates for establishment in the abandoned arable lands of the EC province. This data has been collected from approximately 12 establishment trials at 3 Research Stations and within 6 communities living in the abandoned arable lands.
Interestingly, the "hard-seed" of some of the annual legumes has broken down over the moist summer months to be available for germination in the second autumn. An MSc study by an ECDA employee (Ms Unathi Gulwa) has been initiated to follow the dynamics of hard-seed breakdown and general seed ecology on the basis of these observations. The project knowledge base has moved from substantial uncertainty as to which (if any) plants might be adapted to the soils and climate, to a position of confidence of the performance of some several Mediterranean and sub-tropical species. An important component of the success of the project to date has been the input of an Australian small seeds farmer, Mr Neil Ballard, who has travelled to the Eastern Cape as part of the project team to assist in developing methods and machinery with which to establish the pastures in the community fields.
The community participants have, in the main, shown strong interest in the forage evaluation and have been actively engaged in establishing and monitoring the success of species. The expectations of the communities are being captured in video and survey interviews (attached). The sociological aspects of the project are being managed by Murdoch University graduate Mr John Davis and ECDA scientist Mrs Nobuntu Mapeyi.
In the next 12 months of the project we expect to monitor forage production and species reproduction, especially under some controlled grazing pressure. In the final year we will also establish some larger (several hectare) sowings with which to assess animal performance when grazed on mixed swards containing the introduced forage species.