Call for Papers: Grazing Management in a Diverse and Dynamic World
The African Journal of Range and Forage Science (AJRFS), a leading journal in the field of rangeland management, is developing a special issue on grazing management, to be titled Grazing Management in a Diverse and Dynamic World. To this end, the journal is issuing a call for papers.
Livestock keeping and production supports the livelihoods of millions of people across the globe and provides meat as a key source of protein to cities. Livestock production systems on natural rangelands occur across a range of tenure systems from intensively managed multi-paddock commercial ranches under private ownership to agro-pastoralism in communal rangelands and mobile transhumance on regional-scale ecological gradients. Commercial ranchers and pastoralists are challenged by increasing temperatures and greater variability and unpredictability of rainfall under climate change. Pastoralists are further challenged by growing human populations and competition for land, fragmentation of seasonal ranges and lack of political support while commercial ranchers are challenged by rising costs of production, market uncertainty and lack of clear guidance on best practices for grazing management.
The results of numerous grazing management studies suggest that stocking rate and not grazing management is the key driver of animal performance and rangeland condition, whereas many skilled ranchers observe that grazing management is pivotal to long-term ranching success. Reconciling these seemingly contradictory perspectives is critically important for providing ranchers and pastoralists with realistic concepts for enhancing sustainable livestock production. Moreover, indigenous knowledge and grazing strategies of pastoralists developed over thousands of years can provide insights that can inform improved grazing strategies on commercial ranches.
This special issue aims to bring together papers on grazing management across a range of social-ecological contexts to glean key principles for sustainable and productive livestock production in a rapidly changing world. With this background as a foundation, the AJRFS is calling for submissions to this special issue on grazing management. Papers should have global relevance to grazing management on commercial ranches or pastoral systems.
First Invitation - Deadline for Abstracts: 28 February 2025
Final Submission Date for Titles and Abstracts: 21 March 2025
Accepted Abstract Notification Deadline: 4 April 2025
Full Paper Submission: 27 June 2025
First Revision by Authors: 26 September 2025
Final Revision by Authors: 28 November 2025
Guest Email your abstract for consideration to Journal@grassland.org.za by the 31 st January 2025