Parallel B: Feeds and Forage, with a focus on the forage seed value chain

Fodder radish (Raphanus sativus), which is often also referred to as Japanese radish, is the most popular and widely used root crop in South Africa due to its higher yield potential than most winter cereals. The cultivar “Nooitgedacht” was the first-ever locally bred fodder radish cultivar released, with six new cultivars subsequently bred and released by the Agricultural Research Council – Animal Production (ARC-AP) based at Cedara. However, in more recent years ARC-AP Cedara top-crossed their cultivars Geisha and Sterling onto a very late-flowering fodder radish line supplied by PGG Wrightson Seeds (PGGW) of New Zealand. Thereafter, following eight consecutive years of selection and breeding, the variety “Endurance” was released and is now inscribed in the South African Variety List, while “Line 2” is still undergoing selection and breeding to genetically stabilize it. A trial was established during May 2015 at Cedara to determine the production potential of these new South African bred varieties compared to other fodder radish varieties. The experiment was conducted on a Hutton soil type at the Cedara Research Station in the natal Mistbelt, South Africa (29º 32´S 30º 16´ E), at an altitude of 1075 m and with a mean annual rainfall of 885 mm. Seed of 12 radish cultivars of above mentioned species was planted. Four replications of the 12 cultivars were planted in 3 x 4 balanced lattice with gross plot size of 10 m x 6 m. Twenty plants with a inter row spacing of 0.5 m were planted. The trial was harvested for the first time three months after establishment, and then monthly thereafter during the winter. The yield of both leaf and root components were determined separately. Net plot size after border removal was 5.4 m x 10 m. The fresh herbage and roots were weighed within two to five minutes of sampling and dried to constant weight in an electric oven at 75 ºC. The fodder radish cultivars Nooitgedatcht, Australian purple and Samurai ran to seed in the late August, resulting in a decline in both leaf (0.0, 0.15 and 0.0 t DM/ha) and roots (0.13, 0.32 and 0,12 t DM/ha) yield. The ability of the late-flowering varieties Endurance and Line 2 to maintain leaf (0.93 and 1.04 t DM/ha) and roots (0.4 and 0, 52 t DM/ha) shows the potential of these varieties to improve yield related to other varieties. There was no significates different between all three harvesting dates (10 July 2017; 30 July 2017 and 28 August 2017) respectively. The varieties did not differ in terms of their yielding potential over harvests e.g. Endurance yielding the same during all three harvest. This could be because of low production of this trial due to uncontrolled weeds. Therefore, it is recommended that the same trial be repeated in 2018 to confirm these results. 

Livestock is an important agricultural sector that contributes 40 percent of the agricultural gross domestic product in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).  It is a source of food, nutrition, crop production inputs, income, employment and livelihood of the people in SSA. Despite the importance, livestock productivity in SSA is the lowest in the world. The seasonal availability and low-quality feeds are among the major factors responsible for low livestock productivity. Forages of African origin, including Brachiaria grass, have been instrumental in the transformation of the livestock sector in tropical America, Australia and East Asia, but their potential has been little explored in SSA. Considering this fact, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) initiated a collaborative research programme on Brachiaria grass in 2012 with the objective of increasing livestock productivity in East Africa by improving availability of quality forage. Through the farmer participatory varietal selection, the programme identified five Brachiaria varieties suitable to East Africa and integrated them into mixed crop-livestock systems: milk production increased by 15 - 40 % and live weight gains surpassed 50 %. For the past three years, ILRI has been upscaling Brachiaria technology, and over 30,000 farming households in Kenya and Mali have adopted the technology. Brachiaria grass is suitable for both cut-and-carry and grazing systems, and it is good for hay making. Brachiaria hay production has emerged as a new agribusiness for youth and women that has not only enhanced livestock feed availability in the dry season but also contributed to incomes and employment of rural people. Brachiaria grass is becoming a preferred forage option across SSA due to high biomass production, high nutritive value, remarkable increase in livestock productivity and resilience to drought. Recently, ILRI has expanded its Brachiaria program in Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. To better serve the large number of livestock farmers in Africa, ILRI collaborates with African National Agricultural Research Institutes, Universities, non-governmental organizations and the private sector for research, capacity building and upscaling of Brachiaria technologies.

Improved nutrition through planned supplementation of feed resources with sown pastures, locally available feeds and improved crop residue management could substantially improve goat production in the semi-arid smallholder farming sector. The major challenge to feed related interventions is lack of information on the current feed resources and feeding systems. This study was conducted to identify goat feed resources, feeding systems and feed related challenges for smallholder farmers in Beitbridge district located to the south east semi-arid region of Zimbabwe. Geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing was combined with participatory research methods: key informant interviews, individual farmers’ interviews, focus group discussions, participatory mapping and transect walks to determine the diversity of feed resources in two (Chamunangana and Joko) of the fifteen wards.  One hundred and twenty households were included in the study. The diversity of rangeland feed resources included: browse species such as Colophospermum mopane, Grewia bicolor and Grewia flavescens, Acacia pods and forages. All farmers depended on rangeland feed resources for goat browsing. About 87% indicated that browse land was not adequate yet only 54% of the respondents practiced supplementation. Participants predominantly used crop residues (40%), browse species (28%) and commercial feeds (22%) as supplements. Participants, however, under-reported the use of Acacia pods and Amarula fruits yet they played a vital role in goat nutrition during the dry season. Of the 46% who did not supplement, 53% attributed this to unavailability of feeding material and 29% were not aware of the importance whilst the rest thought it was not necessary to supplement. The decision to supplement was influenced by geographic location and whether farmers milked their goats (P 0.05).Gender, marital status, age, level of education and experience in goat keeping had no influence on supplementing. Respondents who supplemented had received some form of training in goat husbandry (P 0.05). Shannon index was higher in Chamunangana (1.29) compared to Joko (1.19). There was however no significance difference in biomass production between the study sites. The results show a diversity of feed resources hence there is potential to improve nutrition through planned supplementation of feed resources with locally available feeds, sown pastures and better crop management.

Inadequate nutrition for goats remains a major constraint among smallholder communal farmers particularly in dry regions, where, ironically goats are of high importance. A number of forages have been tested and gave encouraging results as supplements for goats on-station. However, relatively less on-farm testing of the same forages as supplements for goats has been done. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of supplementing goats with forages: Bana grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) hays in one of the driest parts of Zimbabwe, Beitbridge, during the dry season on growth, kid mortality, milk quality and milk offtake. The study lasted ten weeks. Farmers in eight of the 15 wards took part in the study. The trials followed a nested design that took into account sex, forage supplement, goat class and farmer. Each of the eight farmers acted as a replicate. Data on weekly weight changes, pre-weaning kid mortalities, milk composition and milk offtake were recorded. Repeated measures ANOVA of SAS and non-parametric tests of SAS were used to analyze for the effect of supplements on weekly weight changes, milk composition, milk offtake and pre-weaning kid mortality. Dietary supplementation resulted in greater weight gains than non-supplementing (P<0.05) but the difference was not significant between the supplemented groups (P>0.05). There was no significant effect of supplementation on milk composition, offtake was significantly higher in supplemented groups. Supplements had no significant effect (P>0.05) on pre-weaning kid mortality. Supplementing goats is therefore important during the dry months of the year as it ensures maintenance of goat weights and also availability of more milk for human consumption. Goat production is the most important economic activity in Beitbridge district throughout the year and maintenance of live weights will mean farmers can sell their goats throughout the year and get good returns per animal. We therefore concluded that supplementing goats with Bana grass or Velvet bean hay during the dry season in this arid region will improve weight gain and increase milk that can be available for household consumption; confirming results observed on-station.

 

The uptake of technologies is driven by incentives which are embedded in households’ and firms’ activities. The goat value chain project in Beitbridge also recognises that transactions and incentives for production and investment are made by a sequence of actors that connect production to consumption. The goat population in Zimbabwe is increasing and there is also an increase in demand of goat meat among consumers. However, natural pasture which is limited in quantity and quality especially in the dry season is the main source of feed and the market for goats is poorly developed. The overall objective of the study was to reveal information on goat production and marketing in the Beitbridge district, highlight actors involved, constraints and opportunities that exist and suggest strategies to improve goat productivity and smallholder farmers’ livelihoods. Data collection included a consultative meeting with identified stakeholders within the district, followed by household surveys and interviews with various actors along the value chain. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was used for descriptive statistics. Discussions from the stakeholder workshop and key informant interviews were consolidated and information extracted from there to verify data from the survey. Goat production is mainly conducted on a subsistence level for the purpose of household consumption by smallholder farmers. The main source of feed for goats is natural pasture and farmers do not supplement nor fatten goats for the market. Reasons being that market prices for goats are low, there is limited access to goat supplementary feed, limited finance to engage in goat feeding and cultural values attached to goats that do not consider supplementation and fattening of goats important aspects. There are both formal and informal markets in the district, with the latter being most pronounced. Farmers sell directly to neighbours and outside their communities through negotiations on both parties with prices being very varied. Prices range between US$40 and US$60 per live goat. Value chain actors include input suppliers such as feed and veterinary medicine. Other farmers act as traders or middlemen for goats which are sold to auctioneers, abattoirs and butcheries in and beyond the district. Traders in the district consist of middlemen, auctioneers and other farmers. Major constraints highlighted by producers include poor access to veterinary drugs and goat markets, and high levies being charged associated with livestock sales on the formal market. They also highlighted limited knowledge on goat production, low market prices which is compounded by perceived monopoly by big companies in the livestock business. Livestock thefts and predation are also prevalent, especially if goats are left in the rangelands. Traders, processors and retailers indicated that farmers dispose of sick animals which get condemned by animal health inspectors and old animals that will fetch low prices. Suggestions for improving goat productivity include a change of mindset to commercialising goat production, conducting training on goat production and marketing, investment in irrigation and market infrastructure, and access to credit facilities. Interventions such as livestock marketing should be promoted and be implemented by farmers in collaboration with relevant stakeholders for sustainability.

There is a growing need to improve the quality of forages available to livestock producers in order to increase production and efficiency. Sorghum, due to its drought tolerance, has the potential to improve livestock production in sub-tropical regions. The aim of this study was to evaluate different sorghum cultivars available in South Africa (sorghum x Sudan grass hybrid, sweet sorghum x sweet sorghum, BMR sorghum x sweet sorghum and Sudan x Sudan grass hybrid) in terms of water use efficiency (WUE), dry matter yield and forage quality. Data was collected from four forage sorghum cultivars grown at an experimental farm in Delmas, Mpumalanga. The cultivars were planted in a randomised block design with four replicates under dryland conditions. The majority of the cultivars attained the recommended grazing stage (80cm height) and were ready to be harvested by hand within 48 days. During the regrowth phase most cultivars reached 80 cm within 45-52 days. Water use efficiency and dry matter yield for the growing season was recorded. Proximal analysis and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) was analysed according to international accepted methods to determine forage quality at different harvest stages (first cut, regrowth and silage stage). Total dry matter yield was unaffected (P< 0.465) by sorghum cultivar. BMR sorghum x sweet sorghum proved to be the most water use efficient (24 kg DM 1m-1 rain), followed by sweet sorghum x sweet sorghum, sorghum x Sudan grass and Sudan x Sudan. The average crude protein (CP) concentration at first harvest of the different sorghum cultivars was 11.19 %, with sweet sorghum x sweet sorghum being higher (P< 0.05) and BMR sorghum x sweet sorghum lower (P< 0.05) compared to the average at 12.75 % and 9.80 %, respectively. The CP concentration across all cultivars varied (P< 0.05) between the different harvest stages, at 11.19 %, 5.95 % and 8.08 % for the first harvest, regrowth and silage stages, respectively. Calcium (0.34 %) and phosphorous (0.16 %) was not different (P>0.05) amongst cultivars, but did differ (P< 0.05) between harvest dates. Neutral detergent fibre (NDFom) varied (P< 0.05) between the first harvest (58.66 %) and the regrowth (64.08 %) stage and between the regrowth stage and the silage stage (57.42 %). Sorghum x Sudan grass NDFom (53.35 %) was lower (P< 0.05) compared to the other cultivars evaluated. In vitro digestibility was not different (P>0.05) amongst cultivars within harvest stages, but it did differ between harvest stages, with the regrowth stage being lower (66.13 %) compared to the first harvest (76.02 %) and silage stage (76.02 %). Sorghum x Sudan grass showed the highest potential to improve production in sub-tropical livestock production systems followed by Sudan x Sudan under the experimental conditions.