Improved forage cultivation for increased in fodder availability and climate change mitigation in the Savanna agro-ecological zone of northern Ghana

The study was conducted to investigate the biomass yield and quality of two forage species Brachiaria ruziziensis (B. ruziziensis) and Sorghum almum (S. almum) in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in two different locations (Bihinayili in the Savelugu District and Zanlerigu in the Nabdam District) in the Savanna agro-ecological zone of Ghana. Agronomic data were collected and representative samples of forage biomass taken at 60 days after planting to estimate dry matter yield and nutritive quality. The two-way interaction effect of forage species and experimental site was not significant for both agronomic and chemical parameters except for tiller number. The average leaf size was broader (P=0.006) in S. almum (299.0 cm2) than B. ruziziensis (85.0 cm2). Number of leaves per plant was higher (P=0.016) in B. ruziziensis (10.75). Number of tillers per plant in B. ruziziensis (9.62) was higher (P=0.001) than S. almum (2.88). Plant height was however, higher in S. almum (183.1 cm) than B. ruziziensis (90.1 cm). Dry matter yield of forages at 60 days after planting was higher (P<0.001) at Bihinayili (8.49 tons/ha) than that at Zanlerigu (2.23 tons/ha). The CP content of the forages at Bihinayili (89.7 g/kg DM) was also higher (P=0.018) than that at Zanlerigu (68.6 g/kg DM). Dry matter yield of B. ruziziensis (4.84 tons/ha) did not differ significantly from that of S. almum (5.88 tons/ha). In conclusion, B. ruziziensis and S. almum performed well within the Savanna agroecological zone and could enhance fodder supply and carbon sequestration

An Assessment of Institutional Importance of Climate Change Adaptation in the Volta River Basin of Northern Ghana

Climate change affects a lot of sectors including agriculture. Several measures are being adopted to avert the impacts associated with it. Water resources in semi-arid areas are not excluded. The study, conducted in Lawra District of Upper West region of Ghana was undertaken to identify and assess the adaptation strategies adopted by settlers along and in the Volta River Basin as well as to analyse the level of agreements among the institutions that are helping farmers to adapt to climate change impacts. This study used a mixed method including focus group discussion and a semi-structured questionnaire to obtain information from 160 farming households in 8 randomly selected communities in the Lawra district. Results revealed three classes of adaptation strategies which include environmental, cultural/agronomic and economic strategies. Majority (65%) of the settlers adopted the environmental practices, whiles 52% of the respondents also adopted the cultural/agronomic practices and less than half of the respondents (31%) adopted the economic practices. We viewed that adoption levels, though more than half of the respondents adopted the environmental and cultural strategies, are still not encouraging given the magnitude of interventions related to water management. The results also reveal that community watchdogs, climate change, agriculture and food security platforms and non-governmental organisations are the three most important institutions working to improve farmer resilience to climate change. Therefore the results could restimulate policy implementation with the overall aim of increasing adoption levels of the strategies. Only when this is done, will a significant step have been taken towards saving our water resources from climate change impacts

In vivo digestibility of six selected fodder species by goats in northern Ghana

An in vivo digestibility trial was conducted to evaluate the digestibility of six forages. These were selected indigenous browse species and groundnut haulms in Lawra and Jirapa Districts of the UpperWest Region of Ghana. Groundnut haulms served as a control due to its known good digestibility in small ruminants. Thirty West African Dwarf (WAD) young castrated billy goats with a mean age of 8 months were used. The average live body weight was 8.9 ± 0.1 kg. The animals were randomly assigned to the six treatments and replicated five times in a completely randomized design. They were confined in metabolism cages. The adaptation period was 3 weeks after which data was taken for 10 days. The treatments were the leaves and tiny twigs of T1 Annona senegalensis, T2 Ficus gnaphalocarpa, T3 Pericopsis laxiflora, T4 Pterocarpus erinaceus, T5 Afzelia africana, and T6 (control) Arachis hypogaea. Feed intake, faecal matter and urine output were measured. The results indicated that dry matter (DM) contents of the feedstuffs were less than 50% but crude protein (CP) contents were higher than the minimum required for sustaining ruminants. Neutral and acid detergent fibre contents were high, and F. gnaphalocarpa, in particular, contained a higher level of phosphorus (P). The amounts of feed intakes were typical of most fodder species with the exception of P. laxiflora and P. erinaceus, which were lower (P < 0.05). The apparent digestibility values were also typical of most fodder species but the digestibility of A. africana fibre appeared to be lower. Nitrogen retention was positive for all test species with the exception of P. laxiflora, which was negative. Mortality was recorded in animals on P. laxiflora, and the rate was high. Pericopsis laxiflora leaves, even though morphologically similar to the leaves of P. erinaceus, were not a suitable fodder. Ficus gnaphalocarpa appeared to be the overall best fodder species in terms of nutrient uptake

The economic value of genetic improvement of the Ashanti black pig to the Ghanaian pig industry

The aim of this study was to predict the trait and economic responses achievable for four economically important traits in the Ashanti Black pig (ABP) in Ghana using three different selection strategies. The objective traits modelled in this genetic improvement program were number of pigs weaned per sow per year (NW), back fat thickness (BFT), live weight at slaughter (SWT) and muscle depth (MD). All the traits modelled had favourable economic values with NW being the most important traits among the four. Generally, the genetic and economic returns from the multiple trait index selection (MTIS) and desired gains approach (DGA) were higher than those of the single trait selection strategy except for sole selection for NW (Ghana Cedis (GHS) 156.00). The economic returns for scenarios under MTIS and DGA were between 42 to 93% of the return from sole selection for NW. Single trait selection of MD, BFT and SWT gave the least economic responses. The three strategies modelled gave similar accuracy of selection ranging from 0.4834 to 0.6649 with scenarios under single trait selection giving relatively higher accuracies. The potential contribution of genetic improvement of ABP to the pig industry in Ghana is between GHS 1 060 000.00 and GHS 6 126 000.00. With clearly defined breeding objectives coupled with appropriate selection strategies, the value of the pig industry in Ghana could be improved with the ABP.Keywords: Desired gains approach, Multiple trait index selection, Single trait selection, trait