J. A. San Buenaventura and F. A. Moog
Research Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, Visayas Ave. Diliman, Quezon City

ABSTRACT

A survey was conducted in the rice growing provinces of Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Pampanga to determine the extent of utilization of fodder trees as feed for animals. The result of the survey showed that farmers in the province of Pampanga are not much aware of the importance of fodder tree as feed for their animals, unlike in the provinces of Tarlac and Nueva Ecija, where farmers use fodder tree as supplementary feed for their animals during dry season when forage grasses are in short supply and during the wet season when most of the areas are planted to rice. Result showed that 44.4% and 46.7% of farmers in the province of Nueva Ecija and Tarlac, respectively are feeding fodder trees to their animals.

INTRODUCTION

METHODOLOGY

A survey on feeding fodder trees in rice growing areas in Central Luzon was conducted in selected areas in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Pampanga.

All three provinces are adjacent to each other and are at 70 to 120 km north of Manila. Prepared questionnaires were used to interview farmer-respondents with regards to feeding management they commonly practice during the dry and wet seasons. Information collected are land area, animals raised and crops grown that serve as source of feed particularly during the planting or rainy season,  because their animals have very limited area for grazing and tethering in the rice fields which is the common grazing area after  harvest of rice.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Use of fodder trees
Tethering during dry season in rice fields after harvest and the feeding of rice straw during the cropping season are the principal feeding practices of rainfed lowland farmers in the survey areas.  Rice is planted between June and with harvest occurring in September and October. For the rest of the year most of the areas are on fallow with small area planted with corn, tubers and other vegetables. Among the farmers interviewed, only 44.4 and 46.7 percent in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac, respectively are feeding fodder trees to their animals. Farmers interviewed in Pampanga showed that nobody is feeding fodder tress because most of them are not aware of the benefits of using fodder tree as feed for ruminant animals (Table 1). Feeding of native grasses and fodder trees is practiced during the rainy season with occasional concentrate (rice bran) supplementation. Some  farmers don’t feed fodder trees to their animals due unavailability of to trees not available in the area, lack of knowledge that they are good feed, supply not enough to sustain regular feeding, requires labor and time consuming.

Animal raised
Majority of the farmers raised goats only few raise cattle or carabao alone and some are raising goats along with cattle and carabaos.

Farmer’s income
Crops and livestock farming is the major source of income in the three provinces. Based on the survey conducted, rice farmers under the rainfed areas has lesser income in terms of rice harvest per year compared to farmers under irrigated areas for they have three cropping per year and higher yield during harvest (an average of P 63,000.00 /ha/year) unlike the rainfed farmers they have only one cropping per year and an average yield of  P 23,625.00/ha/year, that is why rainfed farmers raises animals (goats, cattle and carabao) to utilize the vacant rice field after the cropping season and serve as an additional income.

Table 1.  Number of farmers utilizing fodder trees as feed.      

Province	Number of Respondents		Percent
	Total	Feeding Fodder Trees
Nueva Ecija	27	12	44.4
Tarlac	15	7	46.7
Pampanga	9	0	0
TOTAL	57	19	33.3