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Conflicts between farming and nature reservation in grassland managements
31-34Views:119In the last few years important changes occurred in the grassland usage and in the grassland framing, which changes revised the farming circumstances of the grassland farmers. These changes come to the fore leading in the environment friendly, agricultural environment friendly programs, and drove farmers into a corner. The unfavorable economic conditions impressed the whole agriculture, because the grass hay user ruminant stock depressed drastically, farms with small animal stock and the herds ended countryside. The economic process did not serve animal husbandry recovery. Farmers see way out for the grassland sector, but on the marked factors we saw the impresses of the negative effects. We say this because they marked complementary seeding and reseeding as primary factors. Aims of the agricultural environment protection programs and the farmer’s cost-of-living will generate more conflicts. On these conflicts could ease rethinking the aims of the agricultural environment protecting programs, with lighten the strict directions of the nature conservation provisions and with ecological grassland farming.
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14th International occasional Symposium of the European Grassland Federation
49-50Views:792007. szeptember 3-6. között rendezte az Európai Gyepgazdálkodási Szövetség (European Grassland Federation) 14. szimpóziumát (14th Symposium of the EGF) a belgiumi Gentben. A szimpózium témájául a rendező szervezetek (a Belga Gyep- és szálastakarmány Társaság – Belgian Society for Grassland and Forage Crops; a Ghenti Egyetem; a Mezőgazdasági és Halászati Kutató Intézet – Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research) a Szövetség Végrehajtó Bizottságának (EGF Executive Committee) jóváhagyásával az „Állandó és időszakos gyepek – növény, környezet és ökonómia” (Permanent and temporary Grassland – Plant, Environment and Economy) témát választották.
A tudományos program a szövetség alapszabályában rögzített módon bonyolódott. Hétfőn egész nap, valamint kedden és szerdán délelőtt zajlottak a szekcióülések, kedden délután pedig a szakmai tanulmányút (mid-conference tour) tette kerekké a programot.
A szimpózium címéhez és a várható érdeklődéshez igazodva a rendezvény tudományos bizottsága 3 szekcióra bontotta a programot.
1. A gyep termése és annak minősége
(Production and quality)
2. A gyepgazdálkodási mód hatása a környezetre
(Impact of grassland management systems on environment)
3. A gyepgazdálkodás társadalmi-gazdasági következményei
(Socio-economical consequences) -
The Role of Grassland in EU Soil Protection Strategy
3-15Views:74The three most important life quality criteria are: healthy and good-quality food, clean water and pleasant environment. All three are closely related to the sustainable management of natural resources; conservation of soil and water resources; rational land use and landscape preservation. Soils are conditionally renewable natural resources, consequently, their rational use, conservation, and the maintenance of their multipurpose functionality have particular significance both in the national economy and environment protection. The main soil functions are: integrator (transformer) of other natural resources; most important media for biomass production; storage of heat, water, nutrients, pollutants; buffer of various natural and human-induced stresses; huge natural filter (preventing groundwater pollution); detoxication media of various harmful substances; habitat for soil biota, gene-reservoir, media of biodiversity; conservator of the natural and human heritage.
The maintenance of these functions is the key-element of sustainable development on all levels of the decision-making process: Globe → continent → region → country → subregion → settlement → farm → field. The EU Strategy for soil protection focuses attention on 8 environmental threats, for their prevention, elimination or moderation:
– water and wind erosion;
– decrease in organic matter resources;
– compaction and structure destruction;
– soil sealing;
– the increasing frequency, duration and degree of extreme moisture events: flood, waterlogging – drought;
– point and non-point (diffuse) soil pollution;
– salinization/alkalization/sodification;
– decline in biodiversity (decreasing number and activity of soil organisms, narrowing their species spectra).
The EU-conform Soil Conservation Strategy of Hungary was elaborated during the last decades on the basis of long-term soil survey, soil analyses, soil mapping and soil monitoring activities. It comprises three main tasks:
– the prevention, elimination or moderation of soil degradation processes;
– the reduction of the unfavourable economic, ecological, environmental and social consequences of extreme moisture regimes;
– the control of the biogeochemical cycle of elements: optimum nutrient supply of plants; prevention of harmful soil pollution and contamination of the „food chain”.
Grassland management has to play a significant role in these actions. In addition to fodder production, rational grassland management can considerably contribute to the storage, buffer, filter and gene-reservoir functions of soil, to the improvement of soil moisture regime, to the moderation of extreme moisture conditions, and to the reduction of soil losses caused by water or wind erosion. In spite of these favourable impacts grasslands (covering about 12% of Hungary) have never been in the focus of Hungarian agriculture.
Grasslands were always restricted to marginal lands (sands, salt affected soils, peatlands, floddplains) with low and risky (highly weather-dependent) biomass production and low animal carrying capacity. Relatively productive grasslands were upturned for corn in large hilly areas (resulting serious erosion losses and landscape deterioration); the huge floodplain grasslands were used for other agricultural crops after flood control and river regulation; peatland grasslands were also considerably reduced by the drainage of these areas and used (not always successfully and efficiently) for arable crops. Huge areas became seriously degraded wastelands or „weedlnds” due to irregular grazing, lack of weed control, plant nutrition, water management. Under improper management not only the biomass production decreased considerably but the soil conservation functions of grassland were also deteriorated, sometimes dramatically. The poor and degraded grassland vegetation were not able to prevent (or at least moderate) water erosion losses in hilly areas, wind erosion losses in the dry sand regions or „over-drained” ameliorated peatlands, and even their gene-reservoir functions are sometimes threatened seriously.
Rational grassland management is an important element of both the European and Hungarian Soil Conservation Strategy. Its scientific bases are well-known. The details have to be determined by further research and scientific programs. The existing knowledge should be broadcast using all available information channels: teaching and education on various levels; demonstrations; media programs, etc. A proper system of stimulating economy regulations should be developed and formulated in various-level legal documents. But first of all an environment-friendly moral must be developed accepting the concept of sustainable grassland management.
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Characteristics of Grassland Management in Hungary
4-12Views:101For one thousand years the Hungarians kept animals on pastures and lived from animal husbandry by selling their livestock in western Europe.
In the 19th cebtury they began to keep animals in stalls, feeding them with monocultures grown on plough lands. The quality of their animals deteriorated in this manner, and keeping them became expensive. Some of the original pastures were broken up, others turned into woodland and only 30% remain today. Between 1975-1995, th ruminant livestock in Hungary fell by 43% due to the price policy.
According to research and experience gained on agricultural farms, keeping animals on pastures is fruitful, proper from a professional in addition point of view and significantly reduces environment pollution. It would thus advisable to readopt the method of animal husbandry based on grazing. -
Analysing of yield and nutritional value of Zselic pastures and its evaluation by D-e-Meter system
33-38Views:56The future way of grassland management is greatly influenced by the new functions of the grasslands relative to the environment. This means that the role of raising nutrition will be expand by the role of keeping the natural resources. In the EU the price of the arable lands are controlled by the supply and demand, so the quality of the arable and the value of it come asunder. The market economy has to evaluate the arable reliable and accurate. In according to these sentences it is necessary to show the real value of soil quality, of arable in the register of estate. An important part of the sustainable developing is to find the adaptation to the local area and the nature. This aspect could be found in the multifunctional European Agricultural model and in the rural development too. Nowadays we use the way of the land evaluation known as the “aranykorona”, which is an obstacle to the way of the sustainability. The evaluation of grasslands in Hungary is not solved, the details we have are disused, so it is hard to plan the yields of the grasslands, we can estimate them a posteriori. In the D-e-Meter grassland module we start the evaluation with the DM yield of the characteristic grass. This starting point is modified with the factors proper to the area. The measured and the estimated DM yield were compared to each other at 3 grassland at Bőszénfa. To evolve an up-to-date evaluating system we analysed grasslands at the University of Kaposvár Deer Farm at Bőszénfa to find answers to the followings:
• Soil analysis of the humus, the N, P, K levels and the pH of the grasslands
• Describe the botanical composition by the Balázs-method
• The quality and the nutrition value of the grasslands
• Yearly yields of grasslands
• Analyzing of the results by the D-e-Meter system
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The Special Value of Pastures in Hungary
5-24Views:95For centuries, Hungary used to be a beef store for European cities, from Strasburg to Venice. The cattle born and raised on Hungarian pastures were favoured for the excellent quality meat they produced.
In the 19th century, the tradition of keeping livestock on pastures was gradually replaced by stabling and feeding farm animals with monocultures grown on ploughland. The best pastures were ploughed over and only 30% of those that survived were actually used for grazing. Today, it is mainly pastures in national parks that are used for grazing, while this practice is not typical elsewhere.
Based on several decades’ experiments, it can be established that grazing livestock has several beneficial effects:
– pastures provide the most valuable feed for livestock, which sustain their good health conditions,
– livestock cease to be a source of environment pollution for towns and villages,
– manure raises the nutritive value of pastures,
– all the above makes farming more economical
This study provides evidence for the above, based on experiments and production experience. -
Multiple uses of grasslands: Papers of the „Challenges and Aspects in Grassland Management” conference held on 22-23 May 2008.
5-8Views:113In recent decades grassland science has identified all those products and services, which grasslands can provide for society. Among commodity goods traditional (meat, milk, leather, fibre, medicinal plants, animal excreta for heating, animal power to cultivate crops) and new products (labelled food from grasslands, biodiversity as gene pool for plant breeding, grass for energy) have been discussed. Non commodity benefits of grasslands are discussed in global (mitigation of climate change, air quality, water resources, soil health, carbon sequestration, maintenance of gene pools for biodiversity), regional (aesthetic or landscape values, conservation of watersheds, facilitation of tourism and hunting, avoidance of disasters such as avalanches and landslides, buffer zones for power lines, rehabilitation of landscape damages in mining areas) and local (preservation of grassland based cultural heritage) contexts. These products and services are investigated from the points of sustainability and multifunctionality. Existing grasslands and turfs in the county are categorized according to their basic functions. It is concluded that grasslands are the only ecosystem that is able to fulfil so mary tasks and requirements. Future prospects of grassland use in Hungary are outlined from the point of multifunctionality. Production functions of grassland are facing a slight increase due to organic farming. Ecological function will maintain their high importance. Remarkable increase is expected in amenity uses of grasslands.
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XXth International Grassland Congress in Dublin, Ireland, June 26 – July 1. 2005
141-142Views:68Immár XX. alkalommal rendezték meg a gyepgazdálkodási világkongresszust, ez alkalommal Írország fővárosában, Dublinban, 2005. június 26. és július 1. között. A négy évente rendezett kongresszusok célja nem változott. Összegzést adni a tudomány elmúlt négy évének eredményeiről és támpontokat adni a kutatás számára a közeljövő elvárásairól.
A Gyepgazdálkodási Világszövetség (International Grassland Congress) Állandó Bizottságának (Continuous Committee) jóváhagyásával a szervezők „A gyepek mint világméretű erőforrások (Grasslands – a Global Resource)” mottót választották a kongresszus témájául. A tudományos program ennek megfelelően átfogta nem csak a gyepgazdálkodás, de az érintkező tudományterületek szélesebb körét is. Az Ír Gyepgazdálkodási Szövetség (Irish Grassland Association) és az angol Gyepgazdálkodási Társaság (British Grassland Society), mint szervezők a szakmai rendezvények formájának jó megválasztásával ügyeltek arra, hogy az előadott témakörök a téma jellegének megfelelő fórumon kerüljenek terítékre. Ennek megfelelően valamennyi résztvevőt fogadó plenáris ülések foglalkoztak három átfogó témakörrel:
1. A gyepen termelt állati termékek iránti igény
A plenáris ülés mérlegelte a gyepről származó állati termékek iránt várható igényeket 20 éves távlatban a világon és a nagy földrajzi régiók szintjén, illetve kereste azokat a kulcstényezőket, amelyek befolyásolják a változások irányát vagy mértékét.
2. Gyepek és szálastakarmányok a társadalmi jólét javításáért és a szegénység csökkentéséért
A plenáris témakör kereste azokat a főbb lehetőségeket, amelyeket a gyepek és szálastakarmányok kínálnak a fejlődő országok elmaradásának/szegénységének csökkentésében. Sikeres projekteket mutatott be különböző társadalmi-gazdasági és agro-klimatikus zónákból, és rámutatott a sikerek kulcstényezőire.
3. Az állati termék előállítás és környezetvédelem gyepeken
A téma előadói tárgyalták és értékelték azokat az irányelveket és megközelítési módokat, melyek mentén összeegyeztethető a hatékony állati termelés a környezetvédelemmel és a környezeti állapot javításával, beleértve a szennyezés-, a talaj degradáció megelőzését, a biodiverzitás javítását. Vizsgálták annak mozgásterét, hogy hogyan lehetséges egy bizonyos területen az eltérő céloknak megfelelni, avagy a különböző célokat eltérő területegységeken lenne ésszerűbb megvalósítani. -
Benefits from pastures
129-137Views:73The value of a pasture is determined by natural factors as well by productional methods. In this study, natural factors, such as rainfall, temperature, altitude and soil composition, are examined - these also influence the floral composition of a pasture, which is, again, important regarding the value of a pasture. As regards productional methods, requirements of environment protection as well as professional management are emphasised on the basis of wide-scale experiments conducted in Hungary.
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Horticultural applicability of Festuca taxa I.
3-9Views:176This survey is connected to OTKA-125423, which examines the vegetation of sandy grasslands along the Danube. During this survey, two potentially horticulturally usable Festuca species was analysed: Festuca wagneri and Festca tomanii. The main questions were the following: are they usable in an urban environment? Do the to species differ significantly? Have they any morphotaxonomic feature which can by utilized in horticultural practice? Specimens of the two taxa, which were planted either into normal garden soil or into pots differed greatly. Specimens of F. tomani were usually larger and more uniform. Both taxa had the pot treatment well. Though the average lengths of leaves and inflorescence stems tended to be higher on the soil mixed with perlite, the coverage values were lower on it; thus adding expensive perlite to the soil might not be rewarding for the farmer. The two species differed from each other in several morphological parameters. The diversity of Festuca wagneri showed well in this survey, and this taxons parameters would be also useful in horticultural practice.
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Habitat management on agrar-landscape, with special regard to grassland management: Papers presented at the „Timely questions in grassland and game management” scientific conference (Hungarian Academy of Sciences – Kaposvár University, 18-19 May 2006)
13-24Views:129The invariably unfavorable agrarian environment can be neutralized only through a change paradigm change. This would mean the adoption of the practice of "wise use”, which implies the introduction of small game management supported with habitat management. Habitat management concerns 5-10% of the areas and predator management/control according to need result also in the increase of the target species; in this case, small game populations, by increasing the diversity of the habitat structure. The preservation of grasslands, their small game-friendly management, and the development and maintenance of a durable, undisturbed grassland structure primarily in the habitat margins play an essential role in this work.