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<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<0.05) between the two production years and locations. The nutritive values of herbage and straw yields of forage and food crops differed (P<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 − 0.2202*DSH − 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 & Forage Science 2012, 29(1): 25–3

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

Livestock feed resources in the West African Sahel

Limited supply of quality feed is the most important factor limiting livestock productivity in many sub‐Saharan African (SSA) countries. Having a systematic inventory of available feed resources, identifying main challenges and potentials for improvement is the first step towards designing development strategies to improve feed quality and quantity. The objective of this study was to review the available feed resources and their quality in West African Sahel across different agro‐ecological zones and to identify the research gaps and strategies to improve feed resource availability. The West African Sahelian zone is home to 135 million people who herd 173 million head of ruminant livestock. The main feed resources for grazing ruminants are pastures and crop residues; commercially formulated feeds are increasingly being used in poultry and pig production, particularly in peri‐urban areas. Feed resources for livestock are diverse and vary markedly across agro‐ecological zones in the West African Sahel and across seasons in terms of type, quantity, and quality. Given that crop residues are among the most important feed resources, there is need to invest in promoting adoption of proven methods for improving their quality and preserving it. Given poorly developed feed markets in the Sahelian rural areas and cities, strengthening the feed value chain is critical for improving the feed resource base in West Africa. Additional critically important needs are to increase awareness about the importance of feed quality, to create quality‐based feed marketing systems, and to appreciate and enhance women's roles in feed production