Timenkar_2025_May_2
Why this photo?
This photo show barley fields (6-row type of variety) which is the major crop of the Timenkar plateau in term of cropped area and because of its key rôle in the food and the livestock sub-systems. This is due to the following attributes :
production of grain with high nutritive value (coated seed rich in fiber and mineral compared to wheat) for traditional foods (bread, soups, dahl) production of grain for livestock: lamb fattening and pregnant females
production of quatlity straw for livestock feeding during winter. The local varieties have a low harvest index (around 0.3)meaning that they produce more straw than grain. early grazing of straw before winter in case of wet autumn and early sowing with compromising the heading and grain production.
late grazing of the whole crop in case of very dry spring.In that case the grain harvest would be anyway very low and is sacrified to preserve livestock feeding. in all cases grazing of straw after grain and straw harvest
* adaptation to drought and heat (compared to wheat) because of high tillering and earliness.
production of grain with high nutritive value (coated seed rich in fiber and mineral compared to wheat) for traditional foods (bread, soups, dahl) production of grain for livestock: lamb fattening and pregnant females
production of quatlity straw for livestock feeding during winter. The local varieties have a low harvest index (around 0.3)meaning that they produce more straw than grain. early grazing of straw before winter in case of wet autumn and early sowing with compromising the heading and grain production.
late grazing of the whole crop in case of very dry spring.In that case the grain harvest would be anyway very low and is sacrified to preserve livestock feeding. in all cases grazing of straw after grain and straw harvest
* adaptation to drought and heat (compared to wheat) because of high tillering and earliness.
Question/Answer
Q: what is the crop? A: Barley
Q: is it an important component of the system to consider? Why and how does it interact with other system's components? A: yes because (i) the large share of the cropped area (ii) the contribution to human nutrition (direct through grain and indirect through livestock products) and to livestock nutrition (through grain, straw and grazing)
Q: how does it contribute to resilience of the agrifood system and the community to climate variability? A:because of (i) biology: adaptation to drought and heat (ii) management: allocation to human and animal feeding depending of rainfall distribution of the year.
Q: is it an important component of the system to consider? Why and how does it interact with other system's components? A: yes because (i) the large share of the cropped area (ii) the contribution to human nutrition (direct through grain and indirect through livestock products) and to livestock nutrition (through grain, straw and grazing)
Q: how does it contribute to resilience of the agrifood system and the community to climate variability? A:because of (i) biology: adaptation to drought and heat (ii) management: allocation to human and animal feeding depending of rainfall distribution of the year.