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Improvement of fodder autonomy of livestock in the north-sudanian zone of Burkina Faso

¹Inst. of Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA), Dept. of Animal Productions, Burkina Faso
²Nazi BONI University, Inst. for Rural Development, Burkina Faso

Abstract

One of the major challenges of the livestock sector in Burkina Faso is to meet the feed needs of livestock to improve their productivity. This situation becomes even more critical when it is correlated with frequent security crises in certain areas, limiting transhumance and leading herders to settle down. This study aimed to contribute to the improvement of fodder availability in quantity and quality in the commune of Korsimoro (centre-north Region), with a view to ensuring feed autonomy for livestock. It consisted first at making an inventory of the feed resources available for livestock from 135 farmers by means of a formal survey; and second to test on farm dual purpose varieties of sorghum (Sariasso 14) and cowpea (KVX 745-11P), the main crop in the area, with 30 target farmers.
The inventory revealed 04 main types of feed (grass from natural pastures, woody fodder, crop residues and concentrates feed), whose availability varies over time, resulting in a feed shortage at certain periods of the year. This lack of feed resources is accentuated by inappropriate storage and conservation methods (sheds, tree branches, roofs of houses), which decrease their nutritional value.
The two dual-purpose crop varieties tested proved to be very satisfactory, as they combined high yields of fodder especially and a good determination of farmers to adopt these crops (68.18% for sorghum and 83.33% for cowpea). The average grain yields obtained varied from 1.5 (±0.8) t ha^-1 for sorghum to 0.6 (±0.3) t ha^-1 for cowpea. The corresponding fodder yields were 5.1 (±2.3) t/ha for sorghum straws and 2.7 (±2.8) t ha^-1 for cowpea haulms.
The adoption of fodder crops of dual purpose constitutes a resilient solution to the feeding needs of the livestock and the populations, and therefore the best strategy for the development of livestock farming in Burkina Faso.

Keywords: Cowpea “KVX 745-11P”, Dual purpose fodder crop, feed resources, fodder conservation, sorghum “Sariasso 14”

Contact Address: Hadja Sanon, Inst. of Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA), Dept. of Animal Productions, BP 8645, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, e-mail: hadja_osanonyahoo.fr