Many rural households in developing countries feed their animals on the leaves of trees. In pastoral areas of sub-Saharan Africa, three-quarters of the 10,000 tree and woody species, are used as fodder, supplying up to 50 per cent of livestock feed. This provides a valuable supplement for dairy cows and goats, especially during the dry season. Leaves contain much more protein than the animal's normal diet of grasses and crop residues. As a result, the livestock produces more milk. Feeding livestock high-yielding tree fodder is also a way for farmers to cope with the pressure of smaller land holdings caused by population growth. It is part of a move towards zero grazing, in which animals are kept in a pen or shed at all times and fodder is brought to them.
Publication year
2014
Authors
Language
English
Keywords
agroforestry, allanblackia, fodder, livestock, nutrition, trees
Geographic
India, Kenya, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
