Rapporteur's Report: (N.A. Urio)
Summarized under:
A. The main feed resources.B. The limitations/constraints on utilization and improving productivity of feed resources.
C. What has been done on utilization and improving productivity of feed resources.
D. What could be done to improve further the utilization and productivity of the feed resources.
The Main Feed Resources
1. Natural grasslands/permanent pastures.
2. Planted/established pastures/forage crops.
3. Crop residues.
4. Agro-industrial byproducts.
5. Others.
Note: Except for a few countries, it was generally observed that there was a lack of qualitative as well as quantitative data on each of the above outlined feed resources.
1. Natural Grasslands
The main pastures species include: Themeda, Hyparrhenia Brachiaria, Heteropogon, Aristida, Eragrostis, shrubs, trees, and indigenous legumes.
Constraints
The main constraints identified under this feed resource are:
(i) Seasonal and low productivity of natural grasslands, including conspicuous absence of legume species.(ii) Lack of proper management, including serious overgrazing.
(iii) The inherent communal land-tenure systems which hamper efforts to improve management of the grasslands.
(iv) The inability to effectively carry out destocking.
What has been done:
(i) There has been some change in some countries (e.g. Kenya) on the land-tenure system from communal to individual ownership, which tends to facilitate proper management.(ii) There has been some controlled grazing through fencing of grazing areas (e.g. Botswana and Zimbabwe), although the shortage of fencing materials is a major constraint.
(iii) There has been a limited introduction of legume species in grazing lands (e.g. in Swaziland in the past, and now in Zimbabwe).
(iv) There has been some efforts in providing more watering points in grazing lands.
What could be done:
(i) More realistic and effective approach to the problem of overstocking.(ii) Improvement on management aspects of grasslands, including grazing management, introduction of more productive pasture species including legumes spp., and provision of more watering points.
2. Established Pastures
It was generally observed that broadly, these currently play a limited feed resource, and are specifically more important in intensively cultivated areas and in high population density areas. The main pasture species under this feed resource include Napier grass, Guatamala grass, Setaria, Rhodes grass and limited amount of legume species such as Alfalfa, Stylosanthes, Desmodiums, Siratro and Trifoliums.
Constraints:
(i) The productivity of the established pastures has not been fully exploited in terms of proper agronomical practices including use of proper varieties for each ecological zone, or the inclusion of legume species into the pasture leys.(ii) Lack of pasture seed especially legume seeds.
(iii) Lack of technology among smallholder farmers, on establishment of pastures.
What has been done:
(i) There has been considerable use of three pasture species viz Napier grass, Setaria spp, and Guatamale grass among smallholder farmers.(ii) There has been some improvement on agronomical practices e.g. spacing and manure application with considerable increase in yield of such spp. as Napier grass (e.g. in Kenya).
(iv) There has been some characterization of forage crops for different ecological zones e.g. in Ethiopia and Burundi.
(v) There has been some introduction of fodder trees like leucaena and others.
What could be done:
(i) There is a need to devise a production system that will ensure a continuous supply of forage throughout the year either by increasing yield and productivity of the forage crops through better agronomical practices, and or inclusion of suitable legume species in the pasture leys.(ii) There is a need to devise suitable technology of forage conservation for the smallholder farmer.
(iii) Production of pasture seeds for both promising grasses and legumes.
3. Crop Residues
This feed resource include mainly crop left overs after havest i.e. stovers and straws and include such materials as maize stover, sorghum stover, millet stovers, rice straw and various forms of pulses straws/haulms.
Constraints:
(i) Generally observed that the crop residues are low in feeding value, and are particularly deficient in nitrogen.(ii) The mode of harvest and transport limit their efficient utilization. They are generally bulky materials and the feeding practice either grazing in situ or stall feeding results into considerable losses especially of the leafy portions.
(iii) Some of the crop residues are produced in places far from user sites.
What has been done:
(i) Limited characterization and inventory of available quantities in terms of their nutritive value and quantities produced annually.(ii) Crop residues have generally been accepted as an important feed resource and are incorporated into the various feeding systems.
(iii) There has been some improvement of the feeding value of the crop residues by supplementation with urea, molasses and oil seed cakes. Attempts to improve the nutritive value of crop residues through chemical treatments have not effectively taken off due to rise in the price of the chemicals as well as the unreliability on the supply of the chemicals.
What could be done:
(i) Proper inventories and characterization of the crop residues available in each country.(ii) Improvement on utilization of the crop residues through supplementation for the limiting nutrients.
(iii) Improvement on methods of harvesting and handling of the residues to minimize wastages.
4. Agro-Industrial By-products
These broadly include sugarcane industrial by-products such as sugarcane tops, baggasse and molasses, cereal milling by-products, oilseed cakes and brewers waste.
(i) Lack of proper inventories and characterization of the byproducts.(ii) Lack of proper and efficient distribution and market networks for the by-products from production sits to user sites.
(iii) Exportation of some by-products at the expense of local demands.
(iv) Wide variation on quality of by-products due to differences in processing methods.
What has been done:
(i) Wide use of the by-products in various feeding systems e.g. molasses urea by-products in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.(ii) Inclusion of cereal by-products and oilseed cakes into various compounded livestock rations.
(iii) There has been attempts to improve the distribution networks for the by-products.
(iv) There has been some studies to characterize the nutritive values of a number of by-products.
What could be done:
Generally efforts could be directed towards the four constraints outlined above.
