Pastures
Approximately two-thirds of organically managed land, roughly 20 million ha, was pasture in 2007. Requirements for animals to be pasture-raised are increasing in organic regulations in developed countries. Furthermore, demands on pasture quality are increasing. For example, the EU Regulation requires that pastures be suitable to natural nutritional and behavioural needs of particular species. These market drivers, along with a burgeoning market for grass-fed meat, has created great interest in the organic sector in pasture improvement strategies.
Pastures may also have a large role in mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration. While organic pastures are not typically mono-cultural and include varied species including legumes, organic farmers seek better information on the best plant species and varieties and animal combinations for various regions, and for reaching different soil layers to better absorb soil nutrients. Farmers want to know more about the potential role of early cultivation of pasture crops as an organic weed control strategy; complete protocols for organic pastured beef, hog, and poultry production systems; and biological controls for invasive and harmful weeds.
Most of the research in this area is occurring in temperate areas. For example, the Institute of Organic Farming and Farm Animal Biodiversity at the Agricultural Research and Education Centre (AREC), based in Austria, is one institution that studies grassland management. To date, little research is being done on organic pastures in arid areas, although these areas are largely dependent on livestock and pasture.
More information
Institutions
- FAO.org/OrganicAG: Institutions that undertake research relevant to the topic of pastures in the ORCA database on FAO's organic farming pages