Overgrazing has been causing huge and incalculable resource losses. To mitigate and reverse these problems, the system of zero grazing was introduced.

To the best of the researcher’s knowledge in our country there is no research done on the benefits, opportunities and challenges of zero grazing after its implementation.

The researches done on such issues are about the adoption of Zero grazing practices and even are very few.

This is, therefore, the reason the researcher became motivated to study on the general objective of the research which is benefiting, opportunities and challenges of zero grazing practices after implementation and assessed from socio-cultural, economic and environmental point of view.

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The study was conducted in Abraha Weatsibha Kebele of kilte Awlalo Woreda, Eastern zone of Tigray region.

The researcher used both primary and secondary data and done by triangulation with focus group discussion. Both structured and unstructured questions for a sample size of 120 were employed under the judgmental sampling. Data was processed and analyzed by tools of tables, graphs and percentages by using spss Vs 16.0.

The findings of the study will be helpful for among others, lobby and advocacy in scaling up best practices of zero grazing to other parts of the region.

As the findings pointed out the practice of zero grazing has significantly contributed for more children’s enrollment, centralized production of animal waste for energy and for fertilizer, increasing income, better livestock quality, productivity, productivity, buying of dairy cows and livestock fattening.

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Government institutions are providing better support to farmers on rehabilitation of the environment. Though not accessible to all, there are better provisions of artificial insemination, better medication, better vaccination, increased credit access and expanded irrigation.  In spite of the fact that farmers have bylaws by which they will be governed on the use of grazing lands, there are some farmers who rarely let their livestock go to the closed grazing areas.

The inappropriateness of the system for large herd made farmers reduce their livestock size. This is a problem that farmers considered as a challenge.

Overall, these results suggest that zero grazing practice benefited households and can contribute to sustainable use of the environment. Given the role that zero grazing practice plays, therefore, the researcher recommends that the time to act to scale up zero grazing practices to other areas is now.

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Abraham Worku

Email: abraham.2003-at-yahoo.com