Bulldoze your way to improved pastures
by Jaco Cilliers
I
f someone told a farmer that he does not need irrigation, additional seed or fertiliser to improve the quality of his pastures, but rather a bulldozer, most people will lose all faith in his credibility. In fact, bulldozing a pasture is the exact opposite of what you should logically do to improve pasture growth. However, some farmers in Namibia have found this method to be extremely effective. During 2020 ProAgri BNZ featured a series of articles on the methods that Namibian farmers can employ to improve their rangeland. Namibia will be severely affected by climate change and the Namibian livestock industry is in decline due to large-scale loss of palatable perennial grasses and widely spread bush encroachment. To counter this trend, the Department of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF), together with industry partners such as the Namibian Farmers’ Union, initiated and developed an innovative rangeland policy that can add N$4 billion per year to the GDP if fully implemented.
An area that was taken over by dense bush is flattened with the bulldozer and rollers that Koos has been using since 2017.
ProAgri Botswana / Namibia / Zimbabwe 15
39
