The Importance of Meat for Cognitive Development

Over 200 million children worldwide suffer from malnutrition and, as a result, are underdeveloped both physically and mentally. Meat has more bioavailable essential micronutrients than plants and is the best source of nutrient-rich foods for children aged 6 to 23 mo, according to the World Health Organization. By consuming meat, which contributes essential bioavailable micronutrients to diets, children in particular can reduce undernutrition and the associated growth and cognitiveimpairment. This review aims to elucidate the effect of meat consumption on cognitive development by systematically reviewing and synthesizing results from available studies. Of 241 pertinent studies initially retrieved from the literature, only 9 met the inclusion criteria, and these included 28 cognition variables covering data from 10,617 children aged 3 mo to 17 y. Twelve(42.8%) of the variables showed improvements in cognition with increased meat consumption, 6 (21.4%) showed no effect,and 10 (35.7%; including 8 from HIV-positive children) showed a decrease in cognition with increased meat consumption.Across all variables, the study reveals some evidence of an association between meat consumption and improved cognition,which becomes more compelling when data from the HIV-positive children are excluded. More research on the effect of meat consumption on cognitive development from randomized controlled studies is needed

Feed balances for ruminant livestock: gridded estimates for data constrained regions

Demand for animal−source foods and livestock feed are forecast to increase across sub-Saharan Africa. In this context, there is a need to estimate the availability of livestock feed to support decision−making at local, sub-national and national levels. In this study, we assess feed balances for ruminant livestock in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. Feed availability was estimated using remotely sensed products and detailed feed composition data. Feed requirements were estimated for maintenance, growth, lactation, gestation and locomotion using a data−intensive model. Biomass available as animal feed was estimated to be 8.6 tonnes of DM per hectare in the Ethiopian highlands and midlands, 3.2 tonnes DM per hectare in the Ethiopian lowlands, 2.9 tonnes DM per hectare in Burkina Faso's Sudanian agro-ecological zone and 1.0 tonne DM per hectare in the Sahel. The energy requirements of lactating cows were estimated to be 62.1 Megajoules (MJs) per animal per day in the Ethiopian highlands and midlands, 62.7 MJ in the Ethiopian lowlands, 88.5 MJ in Burkina Faso's Sudanian agro-ecological zone and 53.1 MJ per animal per day in the Sahel. Feed scarcity hotspots are most prominently located in the Ethiopian highlands and the Sahelian agro-ecological zone of Burkina Faso. Demand−side policy and investment initiatives can address hotspots by influencing herd sizes, nutritional requirements and herd mobility. Supply−side policy and investment initiatives can secure existing feed resources, develop new sources of feed and incentivise trade in feed resources. Improving feed balances will be of value to decision−makers with the aims of optimising livestock productivity, minimising exposure to climatic shocks and minimising greenhouse gas emission intensity.</p

Productivity and economic feasibility of cultivated forage and food crops in the central highlands of Ethiopia

The study was conducted to evaluate the yield performance of improved forage and food crops and to estimate the profitability of fodder and food crops in Holetta and Ejere areas, central highlands of Ethiopia during 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications and evaluated two annual forage crops, two perennial forage crops, and two cereal food crops. Data on herbage dry matter (DM) yield was collected for forage crops while straw and grain yields were measured for food crops. Partial budget analysis was made to evaluate the economic feasibility of forage and food crops production. The result revealed that the herbage DM yield varied (P&lt;0.05) at each location during each production year and combined over years and between the two locations. The straw and grain yields of food crops also varied (P&lt;0.05) between the two production years and locations. The nutritive values of herbage and straw yields of forage and food crops differed (P&lt;0.05) for all measured parameters. The crude protein and in-vitro dry matter digestibility of perennial forage crops were relatively higher than annual forage crops and straw of food crops. The partial budget analysis result indicated that the gross revenue (GR) and net return (NR) obtained from food crops were the highest followed by annual forage crops while the least was recorded from perennial forage crops during the first year of production. However, perennial forage crops produced the higher GR and NR than food crops and annual forage crops in the second year of production. In the second year of production, among the forage crops, Desho grass generated 308, 293, 287, and 232% while Rhodes grass generated 99, 92, 90, and 62% more NR than wheat, sole oat, barley, and oat/vetch mixtures, respectively. The benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of perennial forage crops was the lowest (3.0 for Desho and 1.6 for Rhodes) in the first year of production but the ratio was the highest (17.2 for Desho and 8.6 for Rhodes) in the second year of production. This confirms the better economic feasibility of perennial forage crops as they can be maintained using minimal management cost once they have been established

Research NoteEstimation of browse biomass of Ficus thonningii, an indigenous multipurpose fodder tree in northern Ethiopia

Ficus thonningii is a multipurpose browse tree in northern Ethiopia. Despite its importance, techniques for quantifying its browsable biomass have not been developed. To develop best-estimation equations, the dendrometric parameters total height (H), crown height (CH), crown diameter (CD), diameter at stump height (DSH), diameter at breast height (DBH), crown depth (CDp), crown area (CA) and crown volume (CV) were measured from 12 sampled trees comprising three age ranges. Leaves and edible twigs of the sampled trees were clipped, oven dried, weighed and recorded as dry weight (DW). Regression analysis and a multicollinearity test were employed to remove non-significant predictors of DW. Results showed that only CV, CA, CD, CDp and DSH showed a strong correlation with DW. There was high collinearity between CD and CA, CD and CV, and CA and CV. However, CV and DSH had a higher correlation with DW than their counterparts, which suggested their use in the model. Therefore, the best allometric equation was: DW = 0.8470*CV &#8722; 0.2202*DSH &#8722; 1.5315 (R2 = 0.99). This equation estimated that F. thonningii produces a very high amount of browsable biomass at all ages compared to common fodder species. The model can be used to plan the browsing rate and understand the ecological role of the species.Keywords: allometry, indigenous fodder trees, TigrayAfrican Journal of Range &amp; Forage Science 2012, 29(1): 25&#8211;3

Traditional gender inequalities limit pastoral women’s opportunities for adaptation to climate change: Evidence from the Afar pastoralists of Ethiopia

Abstract Climate change affects different demographic groups differently. Pastoral women, being among the poorest of the poor, are expected to be highly vulnerable to climate change. However, empirical evidence on gender-differentiated vulnerability and adaptive capacity is limited. A triangulation of different techniques including focused group discussions, individual interviews, case studies and structured observations was used to see if there is a difference in factors that determine the level of vulnerability and adaptive capacity between Afar men and women. Gender inequality inherent in the Afar customary tradition (Adda) acts as a risk multiplying factor, resulting in women being more vulnerable than men to climate change-induced food insecurity and related risks. Moreover, men have better scores in different variables determining vulnerability and adaptive capacity, including wealth ownership, wealth inheritance, household-level decision power, opportunities for community-level participation, household burdens and health or body mass index (BMI). Despite their limited scores in many of these factors, Afar pastoral women make higher contributions to household-level adaptation to recurrent drought and weather variability. A gendered approach that recognizes the difference in potentials, limitations and vulnerabilities of pastoral women and men is required for successful implementation of adaptation measures

Distribution, animal preference and nutritive value of browse species in the Rangelands of Afar, northern Ethiopia

Browse species serve as the main feed sources for pastoralists’ livestock especially during the dry season when herbaceous feed sources are exhausted. The study was conducted in Aba’ala District, Afar Regional State of Ethiopia to assess the indigenous knowledge on browse ecology and use and to investigate the browse selection by animals. Local pastoralists are knowledgeable about the ecology and use, and the change in vegetation structure of browse species. Browse species ranking, according to local criteria of use of vegetation species, indicated that Acacia oerfota was ranked first (3.77) followed by A. etbaica (3.88), Balanites aegyptiaca (4.55) and A. mellifera (4.88). The dominant species in the area were A. oerfota, A. mellifera and A. tortilis. The three most preferred browse species according to the browsing time spent on each of the species were A. oerfota, B. aegyptiaca and A. mellifera for camels; A. mellifera, A. oerfota and A. etbaica for goats and; A. etbaica, Grewia ferruginea and G. tenax for sheep. Analysis of nutritive value of two of the most dominant species, A. mellifera and A. oerfota, revealed that these species have nutritive values by far higher than the minimum requirement of ruminant animals and may be considered for use as a supplement to poor quality feed during the dry season.Key words/phrases: Acacia species, Browse preference, Diet selection, Nutritive value

Indigenous weather and climate forecasting knowledge among Afar pastoralists of north eastern Ethiopia: Role in adaptation to weather and climate variability

Abstract Traditional weather and climate forecasting is used by many indigenous communities worldwide as a guide in making important decisions that enable them cope and adapt to climate change-induced extreme weather variation. In many pastoral communities in Africa, traditional weather and climate forecasting remains the most accessible and affordable source of weather and climate information. In this study, we used individual interviews and focused group discussions to systematically document indigenous weather and climate forecasting knowledge among Afar pastoralists, with the aim of making such information available, and enhance use of this knowledge in climate change adaptation and explore synergies with modern weather forecasting system. The Afar pastoralists traditionally predict weather and climate variation through the observation of diverse bio-physical entities including livestock, insects, birds, trees and wildlife. No single indicator is taken at face value; weather forecasting is undertaken in a dynamic process where information collected from different sources, including weather information from the modern weather forecasting system, is triangulated to make the safest livelihood decisions. Before any forecasting information is used, it is evaluated through three traditional institutions that collect, share and analyse the information. These institutions include (1) the Edo or range scouting where traditional rangeland scouts are sent on a mission to assess weather and other spatially and temporally variable attributes on rangelands; (2) the Dagu, a traditional secured and reputable network, where weather information is shared among users; and (3) the Adda or the traditional Afar governance system, which analyses traditional weather information before community decisions are made. This first-time systematic documentation of indigenous weather and climate forecasting knowledge among the Afar communities demonstrated the dynamic process of indigenous weather and climate knowledge production, analysis and communication. This shows the value of indigenous knowledge in contemporary pastoral communities, while highlighting synergies with the modern weather and climate knowledge system for co-production of knowledge that serves the objectives of local people