Livestock Resources

• Livestock contributes an integral part of Nepal agricultural system.
• On the other hand for the environmental point of view, livestock played crucial role for increasing soil fertility.
• For instance, free grazing cause soil compaction and soil compaction causing for resulting soil degradation.
• They are instrumental for the degradation of both agricultural and forest lands.
• Over carrying load and excessive grazing of pasture for grazing animals leads to soil erosion, compaction and other problems which ultimately affect the ability of plants to survive and growth.
• The overall density of livestock per hectare of cultivated land was 5.9 in 1981/82 which further increased to 7.4 in 1991/92.
• In 1981/82, the total livestock holdings (Cattle, buffalo, chauries, goats, sheep, pigs, horses and mules) was 17.2 million and an increasing rate at 2.3 % and reached 25 million in 1991/92.

Livestock numbers – 1981/82 and 2010/11, Nepal

Source: krishi diary, 2069

• Wyatt Smith (1982) analyzed the data on land use and livestock population in the middle hills (Tansen and Pokhara) in the Western Nepal and recommended that the current subsistence level of activity for a average size of 5 to 6 members and with the average land holding of 1.25 ha for maintenance, and requires 0.4 ha of land for timber, 0.3 to 0.6 ha for fuel wood and 3.5 ha for fodder. Households who do not have meet this requirement a likely to put pressure on forest for livestock grazing, fuel and fodder.

Crop resources: krishi diary, 2069