The effects of livestock on environment

The multiple contributions of livestock in natural resource based livelihood strategies are very well common in mixed farming system of the country. This paper examines some environmental elements that are highly related with livestock sector and assess their degree of interaction in mixed farming area of Sekachekorsa wereda, Jimma zone of Oromia Regional State.. The household¿s livestock production system assessed in relation to some environmental resources specifically, grazing land, forest land, and crop land. The role of livestock in integrated land resource management, and some socio-economic constraints, that affect livestock production system and its contribution in natural resource management are also assessed. Result revealed that, livestock production and management system affect environmental resources: with increase in number of households, demand for cropland and animal products increases. As result the livestock size at community level increases, while the pasture land decrease or remain unchanged.