Intensification in Pastoral Farming: Impacts on Soil Attributes and Gaseous Emissions

Abstract

There is growing global concern about agricultural intensification, particularly about the environmental impacts of pastoral farming on soil attributes, selected ecosystem services and greenhouse gas emissions. Intensification of pastoral farming practices is an ongoing and accelerating process in countries whose economies are based primarily on livestock farming, where increased pasture production for higher per hectare animal productivity is the major goal for pastoral farmers. To farmers sustainability means managing their personal resources, their land and the capital assets of their farm business, so that the land and business can sustain future farm families. Therefore, managing pastoral lands to maintain productivity, profitability and the environment is becoming the goal farmers seek to achieve. This chapter addresses the intensification of managed grasslands, with emphasis on temperate-grazed pasture systems, and provides an overview of the inputs to intensively managed pastures and their impacts on key soil processes and gaseous emissions, with special reference to New Zealand. It also explores the options for reducing negative impacts of intensification, and identifies current gaps and limitations to the development of future pastoral management strategies for maintaining productivity, profitability and the environment.