#sheepgrazing — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #sheepgrazing, aggregated by home.social.
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Pacific farmers are reviving traditional knowledge to tackle a changing climate
Drawing on long-held knowledge, research is helping farmers better adapt to climate challenges like #drought, weed pressure and declining #SoilHealth
By Associate Professor Dorin Gupta, Dr Viliamu Iese and Dr Sineka Munidasa, University of Melbourne, Dr Leslie Ubaub, University of South Pacific and Associate Professor Soane Patolo, #MORDITongaTrust
Published 14 August 2026
Excerpt: " #Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is central to #Samoan diets and #CulturalIdentity and is also an important export crop. It is a carbohydrate-rich staple, consumed both fresh and in processed products like flour, chips, noodles and baby food.
"Current techniques that use chemical #WeedKillers to grow taro are costly and negatively affect soil health and the surrounding environment.
"Now, farmers are trialling alternative weed control methods like #mulching and #SheepGrazing, and then comparing these techniques with traditional #HandWeeding in taro cropping.
"The integration of sheep grazing in particular is a new practice in traditional Samoan taro farming, offering an innovative approach to #WeedManagement.
"The project has also trialled leguminous #AlleyCropping, another relatively new practice in the region, where fast-growing leguminous trees like #Gliricidia, #Sesbania and #Erythrina are planted to generate biological mulch for #WeedSuppression and #SoilEnrichment.
"Mr Sala Sagato, the President of the #SamoaFarmers Association, is hosting one of the sites and has championed mulching."
#SolarPunkSunday #Samoa #Tonga #SAI #SouthPacific #ClimateChange #FoodSecurity #NativeFoods #NativeCrops #NaturalWeedControl
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#Solar and #RenewableEnergy on #Farms - #UMassAmherst
Excerpt: "What Works Under Solar Panels
Sheep and Poultry: #SheepGrazing is well-established at solar sites, they benefit from shade, don't damage equipment, and manage vegetation. #Poultry also do well. Larger animals require reinforced racking; goats and pigs may interfere with wiring.
#Hay and #Pasture: Shading reduces yields, but shade-tolerant species (#orchardgrass, #WhiteClover) maintain reasonable productivity.
#Vegetables: #LeafyGreens, #brassicas, and some #herbs tolerate #PartialShade. Sun-loving crops should be planted between panel rows.
Fruit: Most fruit crops need full sun. Currants and gooseberries are more tolerant. Start small to observe actual impacts." [Raspberries do well in partial sun]."
Read more:
https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/clean-energy/solar-renewable-energy-on-farms#SolarPunkSunday #SolarEnergy #SolarFarms #SolarPanelAgriculture #SolarOnFarms #Agrosolar #Agrovoltaics