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Title	Document Summary	Document Category	Date Uploaded (mm/dd/yyyy)	Action
Prediction of grass biomass from satellite imagery in Somali regional state, eastern Ethiopia	The drought-prone Ethiopian Somali region has a long history of pastoralism (livestock grazing), which is a major source of livelihoods. However, it suffers from poor rangeland management and a lack of research and information. The objectives of this study were to develop a method for forecasting forage biomass and to quantify production of and spatial variation in forage from satellite imagery. We downloaded Sentinel-2 images and processed spectral information in the blue, red, and near-infrared bands, and calculated the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI). Combining ground sampling (on 55 plots) with remote sensing data, we developed a forage forecasting model for the area. Forage (biomass) was significantly correlated with both EVI (R2 � 0.87; P < 0.001) and NDVI (R2 � 0.81; P < 0.001). Both gave good predictions of forage biomass in the district. We estimated the annual biomass in each grassland pixel at the peak of the growing season. Models based on each index revealed close estimates: NDVI indicated an average of 0.76 t/ha and a total of 38 772 t/year; EVI indicated an average of 0.78 t/ha and a total of 39 792 t/year. The estimated rangeland biomass showed high spatial variability of 0.22�4.89 t/ha.year. For future rangeland management in the area, the proposed approach and models can be used to estimate available forage biomass from satellite imagery in the middle of the grass growing season (2 months after the rains start), before the grass matures and is harvested.	Journals	2022-10-08	Download	Share
Estimating carrying capacity and stocking rates of rangelands in Harshin District, Eastern Somali Region, Ethiopia	We conducted a quantitative assessment of forage biomass in Harshin district to determine its annual productive potential, carrying capacity, and stocking rates. The dominant Land Use and Land Cover include woodland (35.5%), shrubs (28.3%), grassland (10.6%), and bare land (25.5%). The region has browse‐rich shrubland that is edible to dromedary and goats, as well as massive grassland plains for sheep and cattle. The interannual rainfall variation is 16.5% which implies that the rangeland is a subsistence equilibrium system. The range of forage production is between 105 and 2,310 kg/ha, whereas the average productivity of the district is 742.6 kg/ha. The result indicates that the average carrying capacity of the district is 0.3 TLU ha−1 year−1 (4.9 ha TLU−1 year−1) while the existing stocking rate is 5.4 TLU ha−1 year−1 (0.18 ha TLU−1 year−1). This implies that the grazing intensity in the district is much higher than its carrying capacity (recommended rate), which has seen overstocking or grazing pressure excesses of 5.1 TLU/ha (7.2 cattle/ha). Thus, it clearly signals the risk of overgrazing in the district. If this trend continues, the grazing will not be sustainable and there will be shortage of forage as well as expansion of land degradation (due to overgrazing) in the near future.	Journals	2022-10-08	Download	Share

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