New way to manage grazing livestock system in degraded grassland based on system economics

Grasslands provide about half of the total feed for livestock production and support a large number of social and cultural ecosystem services around the world. Grazing livestock systems mostly depend on grasslands, but the production efficiency of this system is often very low. Improving the efficiency of grazing livestock systems while conserving grasslands is a great challenge. One large size on*farm experiment with traditional whole *year grazing and a lower stocking rate summer animal grazing plus three months of greenhouse feeding was carried out in grassland areas of northern China. Ecological sites were classified and their above ground biomass was estimated with ground measurements and remote sensing technology. Models of balance of forage supply and animal requirements, and the optimization of grazing livestock system were used to understand the current situation of the grazing livestock system, and to find an improved way to manage grazing livestock system. Finally, we worked with a private company and some herders to upscale adoption of the results in a wider area. The results indicated that a lower stocking rate during summer grazing plus greenhouse feeding in winter is a suitable improved grazing livestock system in pastoral areas in northern China. This management system is innovative in that it both enhances livelihood outcomes and conserves the grazing lands. The key points for this new system are estimation of forage and feed supply and animal requirements, grazing livestock management improvement (such as the low stocking rate plus winter greenhouse feeding) assessed based on maximum net income, integration of Dorper sheep and improved management.