The impact of tractor drawn implements use on rangelands and animal resource in North Kordofan

This research work was carried out in Sheikan and Umrauaba localities, North Kordofan state, Sudan during February to May, 2017 with the objective of studying the impacts of tractor drawn implements use on rangelands and animal resource in North Kordofan. The primary data was collected from a sample of 120 respondents selected randomly among farmers and herders within two localities (Sheikan and Um Rauaba) using questionnaires. Secondary data was obtained from the references, previous studies, observations key informants and network. With the assistance of SPSS software, the primary data was analyzed where descriptive statistics was used to describe results. Chi-square was also used. The results showed that the farmers were increasingly started using agricultural machinery while herders were observant of decreased rangelands as affected by the plowing. The acreage under cultivation increased from 2-3 Mukhamas per farmer before using machinery to 20-30Mukhamas after introduction of Agricultural machinery. The expansion of agriculture at the expense of rangelands led to deterioration of the later. This in turn initiated conflicts among stakeholders leading to loss of lives. Agricultural machinery use led to a change in the vegetation composition of some areas and loss of large areas of grazing forests. The results also showed that many of the local population depended mainly on the quantity and quality of the natural grazing. Positive effects of agricultural machinery use were reported by the respondents on gardud soils where use of plows was believed to improve rangelands and increase biomass production. The study concluded that the impacts of agricultural machinery are created by expansion of farming on rangelands leading to decrease of the rangeland area. This in turn led to over stocking and deterioration of rangelands. This is the most serious problem faced by pastoralists in some areas and may result in herd loss. It was recommended that more studies be conducted to study impacts of tractor drawn implements on all natural resources and human life in the area.