Digitalization of pasture information for community-based pasture management
The digital community-based pasture management system has been developed in country under a Livestock and Market Development Project (LMDP) financed jointly by IFAD and the Government of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The project equips authorities with a tool for land management and land dispute mitigation operations, while also enhancing the utilization of land by farmers, augmenting pasture productivity and boosting resilience to climate change. The initiative equips pasture unions with the necessary technologies and training for the digitization of grazing area maps and the utilization of online geographic information systems.
Description
The digital community-based pasture management system has been developed in country under a Livestock and Market Development Project (LMDP) financed jointly by IFAD and the Government of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The project equips authorities with a tool for land management and land dispute mitigation operations, while also enhancing the utilization of land by farmers, augmenting pasture productivity and boosting resilience to climate change. The initiative equips pasture unions with the necessary technologies and training for the digitization of grazing area maps and the utilization of online geographic information systems.
Technology
The GPS devices acquired for the project allow pasture unions (PUUs) to determine the geographical coordinates of their pastures, to identify areas in need of new infrastructure (such as bridges and roads), and to mark specific zones for research (into, for example, yield improvement techniques). GIS imaging allows PUUs to establish a baseline pasture state, and to compare grassland health and yields for safeguarding against overgrazing. PUU committees have received training in the use of Google Earth and GPS maps.
Target
A total of 126 pasture user unions (PUUs) in the Naryn and Issyk-Kul oblasts have been equipped with both physical and digital pasture maps, delivered on USB devices in a KML format. The pastures of 43 PUUs (464,175 ha) in the Naryn oblast and 12 PUUs (380,448 ha) in the Issyk-Kul oblast have been digitized, culminating in a digitized land area of 844 623 ha.
Business model
Upon completion of the IFAD-funded project, pasture mapping and management activities were transitioned to the Pasture Department of the Ministry of Agriculture. The relevant component of the "Community-Based Pasture Management" project included five primary activities: (i) Legal and Regulatory Reforms; (ii) Boundary Demarcation; (iii) Community Pasture Management and Investment; (iv) Building Capacity in National Institutions; and (v) Community Seed Funds, with an overall allocation of USD 13.269 million.
Impact
Baseline data at the initial phase of the project revealed that 42.4 percent of the respondents had been involved in disputes over pasture usage, which declined to 22.7 percent in 2016 and to 21.4 percent in 2018, and in the second phase, an 8 percent reduction in pasture access disputes was recorded. Notably, milk yield among the beneficiaries witnessed a 4 percent increase, and animal weights grew by 20–50 percent, which was attributed to the improved, resilience of pastures to climatic conditions and the enhanced availability of fodder.
Partners
The Government of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan; Association of Pasture Users’ Unions; the Kyrgyz Scientific Research Institute of Livestock Breeding and Pasture; Zemliya I Nedvijimost; GIS Centre for digitalization
Four Betters
Better production
Better environment
Better life
