Grazing and Soil Healt

Oregon State University is joining ranks with an international coalition of 20 entities for a grazing management research project.

Professor Hannah Gosnell says researchers are looking for an integrated understanding.

"The project focuses on understanding links between the way ranchers graze their lands and their well-being. Ecological well-being. Social well-being. Psychological well-being and the economic well-being.”

 

Gosnell says several private institutions are funding the $19 million project, including $7.5 million from the Noble Research Institute.  She adds it's great that funders have decided to invest so much money into studying grazing systems from a social ecological systems perspective.

Often times people that are interested in rangeland sustainability focus on just the ecological aspect and social scientists do their own research.

"The big picture here, is there's a real need to understanding how to make these grazing lands resilient to climate change, help farmers and ranchers adapt to climate change and also leverage these enormous bodies of land to help mitigate climate change.”

 

Other stakeholders in the project include National Grazing Lands Coalition, the Nature Conservancy and an entity based out of United Kingdom.