rangelands and agricultural lands

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    Rangelands and Agricultural

    Lands

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    Rangelands

    Are grasslands, in both temperate and tropicalclimates, that serve as important areas of foodproduction for humans by providing fodder for

    livestock.

    are vast natural landscapes in the formof grasslands, shrub lands, woodlands, wetlands,

    and deserts.

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    Predominant vegetation

    Grasses Forbs

    Shrubs

    Rangelands may be mined for

    Minerals and energy resources Used for recreation

    Preserved for biological habitat

    Soil and water resources

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    Rangeland Degradation and Desertification

    Grasses- the predominant vegetation of rangelands

    Have a fibrous root system many roots form a diffusenetwork in the soil.

    Reducing Soil Erosion

    Grazing to yield grass; to feed or supply with grass.

    Grazing Animals

    Eats the leafy shoots of the grass, and the fibrousroots continue to develop, allowing the plants torecover and the regrow to their original size.

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    The removal of

    maturevegetation by

    grazinganimals

    stimulatesrapid

    growth

    The hooves ofgrazing

    animalsdisturb the soil

    surfaceenough to

    allowrainfall toreach rootsystems.

    Benefits ofCarefullymanagedGrazing

    Greater plant diversity

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    a

    Overgrazed- when the carrying capacity of arangeland is exceeded.

    Erosion may occur when the ground is barren andexposed.

    Most of the worlds rangelands lie in semiarid areasthat have natural extended droughts.

    AerialPortiondies

    Extensive rootsystem remainsalive and holdsthe soil in place

    Dry periodsLower carrying

    capacity because ofLack of

    precipitation.

    Native grasses cansurvive a severe

    drought.

    Rain returns, the rootsDevelop new shoots

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    Overgrazing + Extended drought = DesertOnce a fertile rangeland can be converted to a desert.

    The reduced grass cover caused by overgrazing allows winds to erode thesoil.

    Land degradation is so extensive that the rangeland may not recover.

    Water erosion removes the little bit of remaining topsoil, and the sand leftbehind forms dunes.

    Desertification- progressive degradation, which induces unproductivedesert like conditions on formerly productive rangeland.

    It is the gradual transformation of habitable land into desert; is usuallycaused by climate change or by destructive use of the land

    It reduces the agricultural productivity of economically valuable land,forces many organisms out and threatens endangered species.

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    Agricultural Lands

    The land suitable foragricultural production.

    (crops and livestock)

    Traditionally, farmingwas a small business.

    Now largeragribusinesses own suchfamily farms.

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    Agricultural land is primarily required for:

    the production of food for human and animal consumption,

    the growing of plants for fiber and fuels (including wood)

    for other organically derived products (pharmaceuticals, etc).

    Physical, chemical and biological inputs are essential to agricultural systems,and are ultimately supplied by the ff: Soil Moisture

    Sun (forms of light and heat energy) Plants Animals Biological agents

    The more capably the land base provides and sustains these inputs, the morecapable and productive the land is as agricultural land.

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    Not all agricultural land is capable or suitable forproducing all agricultural products, regardless of thelevel of management applied.

    Prime agricultural land is falling victim tourbanization and suburban sprawl converted into

    Parking lots

    Housing developments Shopping malls

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    The 1996 Farm Bill

    Establishment of a national Farmland ProtectionProgram

    This helps farmers keep their land in agriculture. The farmers retain full rights to use their property.

    Funding is subject to annual appropriations fromCongress.