Implications of Land Use Changes on the Yields in Dry Matter, Energy and Protein of Range and Crop Fields in Zamfara Reserve, Northwestern Nigeria

The Zamfara reserve is a 235,500 ha grazing land within the Sudan savannah zone (12º 10\u27 - 13º 05 N; 6º 30\u27 - 7º15\u27 E) of north western Nigeria. Rainfall varies from 500mm in the north to 800mm in the south of the reserve, and is restricted within the months of May - September. The reserve is an important grazing site for the herds of sedentary, transhumant and agro pastoralists. Population growth within the farming communities in the reserve has led to the conversion of more grazing land to croplands. This work was carried out to evaluate the quantity and quality of herbage on the natural range and the croplands, in order to have an insight on the effect of increased cropping activity on biomass availability in the reserve