Call for Abstracts: African Journal of Range and Forage Science
The African Journal of Range and Forage Science (AJRFS) is producing a special issue on the use and application of a systems approach to expand the knowledge of rangeland ecosystems and pasture production systems, and how such an approach might be used to adaptively mange rangelands and pastures in a changing environment.
The background to choosing this theme is that most rangeland and pasture research published in the AJRFS addresses closely circumscribed subject matter focusing on one component of the production or natural system (such as the vegetation) and a particular set of drivers (e.g., grazing and/or fire) without considering the objective function of that system (e.g., animal production), linkages and feedbacks with the other components of the system (e.g., soils, the animal component), consequent economic or social implications, and the influences of the broader social-economic environment.
Yet decision making should take into account all considerations. Perusal of the last 20 years of publications in this journal reveals that a systems approach has rarely been presented in research articles or in review papers.
This special issue is a first step to redress this deficit. Without a broader, comprehensive approach issues such as sustainability, and adaptive responses to changing climate or market conditions cannot be reliably confronted. With this background as a foundation, the AJRFS is calling for submissions to this special issue on system approaches to understanding and managing rangelands and pastures. We anticipate that there are few formal, quantitative studies of an entire rangeland or pasture production system. We therefore welcome papers that are working toward a systems approach, be they concept papers of a specific system, or papers that deal with a number of components of a ranching, pastoral, or pasture-related systems and their objective function. This shared knowledge should further provide key insights into some of the most important research gaps for livestock, dairy or wildlife production on our rangelands and pastures going forward.
The special issue will be guest edited by Susanne Vetter, Tim O’Connor and Lindo Dlamini.
Authors are invited to submit a title and abstract for consideration. Abstracts should clearly indicate how the proposed paper contributes to a systems approach to understanding or managing rangelands or pasture production systems.
Submission of Abstracts
Email abstracts for consideration to: Journal@grassland.org.za
Deadline for abstract submission: 1 March 2026
Key Dates
- First invitation for abstracts: 5 February 2026
- Second invitation for abstracts (if applicable): 26 February 2026
- Final submission date for titles and abstracts (if applicable): 8 March 2026
- Full paper submission: 31 July 2026
- First revisions by authors: 30 September 2026
- Final revisions by authors: 30 November 2026