🌾 Silvipasture Systems

• Trees + Pasture and/or Animals.
• The production of woody plants combined with pasture is referred to as a silvi-pastoral system.
• The trees and shrubs may be used primarily to produce fodder for livestock or they may be grown for timber, fuelwood, and fruit or to improve the soil.
• A silvi-pastroal system is needed in dry areas, in order to meet out the demands of wood and fodder throughout the year. There are three main categories of silvicultural system

A. Protein bank

• In this system various multipurpose trees (protein rich trees) are planted on or around farmlands and rangelands.
• For cut and carry fodder production to meet the fodder requirements of livestock during the fodder deficit period in winter.
• These trees are rich in protein.
• The trees planted in protein banks are
  • Grewia optiva,
  • Bauhinia variegata
  • Morus alba
  • Artocarpus spp.
  • Anogeissus latifolia
  • Cordia dichotoma
  • Dalbergia sissoo
  • Eutralobium saman
  • Zizyphus jujube, etc.

B. Live fence of fodder trees and hedges

• In this system, various fodder trees and shrubs are planted as live fences to protect the property from stray animals.
• To protect the farm property from biotic influences.
• The following trees are generally used:
  • Sesbania grandiflora
  • Gliricidia sepium
  • Erythrina abyssinica
  • Euphorbia spp.
  • Acacia spp. etc.

C. Trees and shrubs on pasture land

• In this system various tree and shrub species are scattered irregularly or arranged according to some systematic pattern.