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- Kraal manure is an affordable fertiliser that can be used to improve veld productivity.
- It can assist in building the nutrient content of the soil and allow grass to grow faster.
- If done collectively and regularly, a sizeable portion of rangeland can be fertilised using kraal manure.
- The initial priority areas on these rangelands should be the flat-sloped areas.
- It is possible for rural communities to use available resources such as kraal manure.
Kraal manure is an affordable fertiliser that can be used to improve veld productivity, especially in resource-poor communities such as the former homelands. This article draws from own experience and observations in Thaba Nchu in the Free State.
Condition of rangelands
Research conducted by rangeland scientists in the former homelands show that these communally managed rangelands are in poor condition – they are marred by gullies, erosion, poor vegetation, and less palatable grass species. The main cause is overgrazing and lack of veld rest as some areas simply have too little land for camps.
This situation is being exacerbated by the fact that sizeable portions of these rangelands are taken up for residential purposes. The implication is that farmers have to purchase supplementary feed in winter. In one of the overgrazed areas of the Eastern Cape near Herschel, Susan Vetter found in her PhD research that farmers are able to keep more animals by purchasing supplementary feed.
An abundance of manure
Kraal manure is readily available in most rural areas as many rural households have stopped cultivating arable fields where manure used to be broadcasted. Also, many households kraal or pen their animals at night, meaning they accumulate more kraal manure than is needed for their small home gardens.
I recently visited Motlala, a village in Thaba Nchu, to gather information on farming activities and land governance. Here I noticed kraals full of manure with some of the manure heaped outside yards as in the photograph. Kraal manure can assist in building the nutrient content of the soil and allow grass to grow faster. It contains essential nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus which enhance the growth and quality of natural vegetation. The effect of kraal manure is clear from the photograph: The grass near the manure is much greener than further away.
The bigger picture
If done collectively and regularly, a sizeable portion of rangeland can be fertilised using kraal manure. According to Statistics South Africa, Motlala is home to 1 134 people from 326 households of which about 40% keep animals. Herds vary from five to 30 animals. A cow excretes about 30 to 36kg of manure per day, and even in this small village an educated guess says it will amount to hundreds of tons of manure per year. Add to that the fact that cattle in Motlala are kraaled at night.
In addition to collective action, an undertaking such as this requires unity and agency as used to be the case in rural areas. In the olden days when rural households were cultivating arable fields, certain activities involved mobilising labour, such as weeding and harvesting, into ilima or letsema (work parties). While we cannot return to the original ilima, there are modern ways to mobilise labour.
There are also cheaper options of transporting manure to the veld, such as donkey- or horse-drawn carts, with young men from the village assisting in loading and offloading the manure. My observations and data from Statistics South Africa show that many young men are not working, implying a sufficient pool of labour. If community members with bakkies volunteer to take some loads, all the better.
Giving back to the soil
The initial priority areas on these rangelands should be the flat-sloped areas, so as to avoid manure being washed away by rainwater. Soil ripping will also be helpful, providing resources are available.
Besides giving back to the rangelands, livestock farming households should use manure to fertilise their small gardens and plant fodder crops such as lucerne in summer, to be harvested and stored for the difficult winter months. Unfortunately, this will be possible in only a few households as land is scarce in Motlala. Residential plots have been reduced to 25m x 25m and must hold a house, kraals, and a garden area.
The shortage of grazing land in communal areas is a major concern and poses a threat to the sustainability of livestock farming. However, it is possible for rural communities to use available resources such as kraal manure to improve their living conditions and the grazing conditions around them. – Dr Siphe Zantsi, Agricultural Research Council
For more information and references, send an email to zantsis@arc.agric.za.
