Livestock feed resources used as alternatives during feed shortages and their impact on the environment and ruminant performance in West Africa: a systematic review

Ruminant feed is a major problem for the livestock sector in West African developing countries causing animal nutritional diseases, reducing ruminant production, and creating a massive ecological crisis through greenhouse gas emissions. Alternative feeds, which include agro-industrial by-products, fodder trees, crop residues, insects, fodder legumes, algae, and pulses, constitute enormous feed resources for livestock in Africa. This study was conducted in accordance with the methodological recommendations of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). We conducted a literature search using Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus to identify documents related to alternative ruminant feeds using the following keywords: alternative feeds, ruminant products, environmental impacts, and West Africa. Those that met the inclusion criteria were included, resulting in 44 articles published between 2013 and 2023. These studies included 45 alternative feeds divided into six groups, including agro-industrial by-products (48.89%), followed by fodder trees (17.78%), crop residues (13.33%), insects (8.89%), fodder legumes (6.67%) and seaweeds (4.44%). Our results revealed that alternative feed resources and their effects on ruminant’s performances and environment are poorly known in West Africa, which limits their inclusion in rations and sometimes leads to their misuse. Future research should focus on these aspects in order to make efficient use of these resources to improve ruminant milk and meat production

Above-ground plant properties are not leading indicators of grazing-induced soil carbon accrual in the Northern Great Plains

A new aim for grassland management is to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) and to offset CO2 emissions by companies. This practice of carbon ranching may be informed by grazing-induced shifts in plant biomass and diversity which may foretell changes in SOC. Unfortunately, little is known about how grazing-induced shifts in plant properties correspond with shifts in SOC stocks. To help fill this gap, we used data from a field experiment to test whether above-ground plant properties (i.e. biomass, species richness) act as leading indicators of grazing-induced SOC accrual in the Northern Great Plains. The 5-yr bovine grazing experiment had a randomized complete block design and pre-treatment data. Moderate summer grazing (control) is widely used in the Northern Great Plains, and treatments that may alter grassland vegetation and SOC included: severe summer grazing, moderate fall grazing, and severe fall grazing. Severe fall and summer grazing increased SOC but had no effect on plant species richness and biomass relative to controls. Fall moderate grazing increased above-ground plant biomass but had no effect on SOC relative to controls. Changes to grazing practices can affect SOC without measurably affecting plant properties and can affect plant properties without measurably affecting SOC. While two drivers of SOC are plant carbon inputs and microbial respiration, our study indicates that grazing-induced change in above-ground vegetation is not predictive of change in SOC

Variation of Body Measurements in Borgou Cattle Breed in North Benin, West Africa

Studying body development in animals is an essential component for improving their production. The objective of this study was to study body measurements with regard to sex and age in Borgou cattle breed reared at the Okpara Breeding Farm. Data were collected on 244 animals (including 114 males and 120 females) distributed in 0-6, 6-12, 12-24, 24-36, 36-48 and >48 months classes. Data were compared using Student t-test in R software. The results showed that age had a very significant effect (p<0.001) on all measurements. For age groups 0-6, 6-12, 12-24 and >48 months, males presented higher values for body measurements ​​than females on the measurements (p<0.05). However, for 24-36 months, the values ​​of measurements such as Height at the withers, Height at the sacrum, Distance from the Head until the Ischium, Body length, Head length, Pelvic width, Head width, and Chest Perimeter were higher in females (p<0.05). Over 48 months, only the values ​​obtained for Pelvic width were significantly higher in females (p<0.001). The results of this study can be used in selection and genetic improvement processes of Borgou cattle to improve the contribution of cattle farming to agricultural GDP in Benin