3.1 Solely livestock grassland-based system in the temperate zones and
tropical highlands (LGT)
Definition: Livestock grazing temperate and tropical highlands is a grazing system in which either one or
more months have mean temperatures (corrected to sea level) below 5°C (temperate) or have daily mean
temperatures during the growing period in the range 5–20°C (tropical highlands).
Geographical distribution: The cases located in tropical highlands comprise parts of the highlands of South
America and eastern Africa. The cases in temperate zones include southern Australia, New Zealand, and
parts of the USA, parts of China and Mongolia.
Typical cases: Mongolia’s steppe system,New Zealand’s dairy and sheep enterprises, dairy close to Bogota,
Colombia and South American camelid and sheep grazing systems in Altiplano of Peru and Bolivia.
Livestock resources: Temperate breeds perform well in tropical highland situations, except at very high
altitudes, only encountered in the Andes of South America. Local breeds play an important role where
subsistence objectives are still important, cash income is limited and few purchased inputs are used. At the
other extreme of the intensity scale, NewZealand systems use highly selected animals, artificial insemination
(AI) with fresh semen, and a range of technologies to maximise animal output from the pasture produced.
Feed resources: Range is the primary feed resource in this system. Quality varies widely. Oceania’s systems
involve top-dressing with fertilisers, introduction of legumes, and appropriate fencing to achieve highly
productive legume–grass pastures. Relatively even rainfall distribution and seasonal mating make it
possible to achieve high productivity levels using a minimum of hay or silage. In the less intensive grazing
systems of Africa and Asia, seasonal fluctuations in feed supply are mainly buffered by the losses of weight
of the animals. This nevertheless does limit productivity of animals.
Production technology: The developments in New Zealand document the potential of appropriate
intensification, which allows for a highly competitive dairy and sheep sector, producing and exporting from
a very remote part of the world in spite of heavy subsidies being applied by some competitors. The country
has developed labour-extensive, not very capital-intensive technologies to enhance the productivity of the
basic resource, a productive rangeland.In the tropical highlands, the LGT system is affected by seasonality of fodder supply which, in turn,
is largely dependent on rainfall patterns. Extensive systems adapt by accepting weight losses and reductions
in milk output. Where milk markets generate the appropriate incentives, dairy cows are either fed cutand-
carry forages or, as is the case in the dairy system of the highlands of Bogota, Colombia, pastures are
irrigated.
Product use and livestock functions: Product use varies widely, ranging from very commercially
export-oriented New Zealand farmers, to South American farmers mainly producing for the domestic
market, to Asian and African smallholders catering for local markets and subsistence.
Human populations supported: Regions in which the LGT system predominates have a population of 190
million people world-wide (3.5% of the world total). Almost half of this population lives in Asia. In OECD
countries few people (14 million or 1.7%) relate to the LGT system, but they control more land and cattle
per inhabitant.
Interactions with other systems: The major interaction is through the market, where the same animal
products are supplied by mixed and landless systems. Market forces and environmental concerns are putting
a ceiling on the potential for intensification of this system. Thus globally their market share is declining
vis-à-vis other production systems.
Interactions with the environment: The major environmental impact of the temperate and tropical highland
grazing system is the degradation of rangelands through inappropriate range management practices. These
rangelands are frequently part of watersheds, in which range degradation causes problems of flooding,
siltation of rivers etc. These issues are, nevertheless, normally less serious than in mixed farming systems where production is practised. Rangeland management frequently involves controlling wildlife, which
either compete for forage, transmit diseases or, in the case of predators, cause mortality of animals.
Development paths and conclusions: The LGT system is found in marginal locations where production
ceilings are relatively low. In developing countries they tend to give a subsistence basis to certain groups of
the population. Their future role is seen more in the employment for these groups than in a major contribution
to output and economic development. In developed countries, which frequently have production surpluses,
the contribution to production of these systems is declining in importance vis-à-vis other values assigned to
these land resources, such as the recreational value, the value as a wildlife and biodiversity reserve, and the contribution to water conservation they can make. Therefore, the extensification of production linked with
increasing farm sizes may lead to production systems which are both economically viable and
environmentally acceptable to societies at large.