Effect of Rotational Grazing on Environmental Quality in an Integrated Crop-Livestock (ICL) System on Small Subtropical Farm Level

The use of land on small farms in subtropical regions varies with climatic conditions. Agricultural cultivation typically occurs during the spring and summer (southern hemisphere), with tobacco being the primary crop on most small farms. During these seasons, livestock graze in pastures and forest fragments. After the tobacco harvest (March), farmers plant winter cover crops, and by May, livestock is moved from pastures to agricultural areas. This study aimed to examine how grazing influences soil density and water infiltration rates across different land types (pasture, forest, eucalyptus reforestation, and agriculture) during the tobacco-growing season, and the off-season when grazing occurs on agricultural lands. It was found that forage availability and climatic conditions determined grazing duration in pastures and forests, under integrated crop-livestock (ICL) systems. Higher forage volume reduced grazing time and increased resting periods. Eucalyptus reforestation areas had the best soil conditions due to reduced grazing. Intense off-season grazing increased soil density and reduced water infiltration. Year-round ICL systems appear to enhance soil quality through fallow periods, improving forage availability, soil moisture retention, and water infiltration, as well.