Grasslands of the world FAO Plant Production and Protection paper Series, Vol. 34

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has long been concerned with grasslands, forage crops and pastoral development issues, which have been the focus of various field-based activities and Regular Programme work of the Grassland and Pasture Crops Group within the Crop and Grassland Service. Grasslands cover a very large portion of the earth’s surface and are important as a feed source for livestock, as a habitat for wildlife, for environmental protection and for the in situ conservation of plant genetic resources. In both developed and developing countries, many millions of livestock farmers, ranchers and pastoralists depend on grasslands and conserved products such as hay and silage and on a range of fodder crops for their livelihoods. Rapid increases in human and livestock populations have contributed to increased pressures on the world’s grasslands, particularly in arid and semi-arid environments. Now more than ever, information is needed on the status of the world’s grasslands. FAO, through the Grassland and Pasture Crops Group, has endeavoured over many years to make available information on grassland themes to a range of audiences.