Resource information
Extensive grazing is the predominant form of land use on at least a quarter of the world’s land surface, in which livestock are raised on food that comes mainly from rangelands. Extensive grazing differs from crop or forestry production, in which the produce remains in situ whilst growing. Evaluation for extensive grazing, unlike that for cropping or forestry, must take into account the production of both grazing forage, termed primary production, and the livestock that feed on this forage, termed secondary production. Extensive grazing also differs from intensive grazing, in which the animal feed comes mainly from artificial, seeded pastures and not from unimproved rangeland. This relationship between livestock and arable farming must be considered when evaluating land for improved uses in which livestock play a major part. If one component of the overall land use is developed in isolation from the others, the balance between extensive grazing and arable farming may easily be disturbed. Land evaluation is used to identify alternative land uses or changes in management that will better meet national or local needs, and to estimate the consequences of each feasible change. In terms of extensive grazing, it encourages the promotion of sustainable land uses that integrate land, livestock and people for their mutual benefit.
