Ebook The status of animal feeds and nutrition in the West Shewa Zone of Oromiya, Ethiopia
Livestock production is an integral component of almost all farming systems in the west Shewa zone. In the highlands and mid-altitudes livestock is mainly used for the supply of draught power and provision of food. Foreign income generated through the export of hides and skin is also an integral part of the country’s economy at the macro level. By-products of livestock in the form of manure are also of economic importance in the mixed crop livestock system for soil fertility improvement. The income generated from selling livestock and livestock products also forms the main income for the farming community in the highlands. In the low lands, livestock is the mainstay of the livelihoods of the pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. Despite its importance, the productivity and economic contribution of the sub-sector is challenged by various technical, socio- economic, political and institutional constraints.
Among the technical constraints, issues related to feed scarcity (quantitative and qualitative dimensions) are the overriding ones, primarily because of biological, economic and environmental issues. Biologically, the process of animal production is virtually a conversion of low quality products with limited alternative uses such as by-products into high quality products such as milk, meat and egg. In this process the quantity and quality of the livestock product is largely a function of the type of feed used and the art of feeding. There are substantial proofs that at the field level both production and reproductive performance are heavily constrained by the quantity and quality of feed. In economic terms, the feed cost usually accounts for 70% of the total cost of livestock production. This influences not only the productivity but also the feasibility of the enterprise. In terms of environmental issues, aspects of making livestock production compatible with resources are basically a function of provision of feed and an appropriate feeding system. Given appropriate management, livestock production is harmonious with the environment.
The current feed supply in the West Shewa Zone is very much lower than what is required. A situation analysis of the current scenario further indicates additional factors that are a burden on the demand side. Realizing the current market opportunities of livestock and livestock products, they are anticipated to double the volume of livestock products in the coming 3-5 years. Moreover, various livestock feeds (roughage and industrial by-products) are being exported, which leads to serious competition with local uses. In addition, the recurrent drought also exerts pressure on the feed resource base. This has partially led to an exorbitant price of feed. The allocation of pasture lands for some other uses (urbanization and expansion of flower production) is expected to reduce the supply of hay for Addis Ababa dairy farms. As a follow-up of this trend, dairy farmers around Addis Ababa have shifted the feeding practices of lactating dairy cows (the contribution of hay in a daily diet is currently about 30% and the usual level used to be as high as 70%). Such a level is not recommended from a ruminant nutrition perspective and has a negative influence on feed conversion efficiency.
Apart from various limitations, opportunities also exist to improve the feed industry in general and assist the livestock sub-sector to contribute to food security and poverty reduction. Technical interventions for improving the feed supply base and optimised utilization of various feed resources exist both from a research perspective and in terms of community innovations systems. Roughage sources such as native hay and crop residue were collected and conserved, while the availability of industrial by-products were mapped to account for their temporal and spatial distribution and made available to users at a reasonable price. Because of underdeveloped infrastructure and marketing system, some of the by-products are not efficiently utilised. Beyond technical and socio-economic issues, there are also institutional issues in connection with delivering services. Government institutions with the current
set up and capacity are not in a position to fulfill all the needs in the areas of feed industry.
The demand is much higher than the current capacity and there seems to be a need to fill the gap to improve the delivery of services in the provision of feed and guidelines for the feeding system. The decline in feed balance (feed availability per TLU) and the need to increase livestock production/productivity has a serious impact on natural resources. Deliberate decisions and strategic choices regarding feed production and utilisation have to be made in order to accomplish sustainable livestock production. In this review paper the features of the West shewa zone pertinent to natural resources, livestock and feed production are highlighted, research and development experiences in animal feeds and nutrition are reviewed and recommendations are made to guide sustainable livestock production.
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