BUFFALO PRODUCTION AND RESEARCH (original) (raw)

1986

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The purpose of this Manual is to assist researchers in developing countries, especially those in the tropics, to develop livestock feeding systems based on the available resources which are mainly crop residues, dry and/or mature pastures and agroindustrial byproducts. The need for an alternative to the traditional methods of feed analysis was first raised at an Expert Consultation on New Feed Resources held in FAD Headquarters, Rome in November 1976. At that meting data were presented to show that the conventional feeding standards, derived fram research with feeds of temperate country origin, were of limited value when applied to the crop residues, dry pastures and sugar-rich agroindustrial byproducts which made up the feed inventory in most tropical countries. As a follow-up to this meeting a small network involving institutions frcm Cameroon, Nigeria and Senegal was set up by FAO to promote research on several locally available crop residues and agroindustrial byproducts. An FAO Seminar was organized in collaboration with the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA), and held in Dakar, Senegal in September 1981. At this meeting, which addressed specifically the problems of utilizing feed resources in Africa, the first results of the Network were presented. During this discussion it became apparent that apart from the conceptual difficulties of applying in Africa the animal nutrition knowledge gained in Europe and North America, there were other serious limit ations of lack of infrastructure, especially laboratory equipment and the means of servicing, coupled with irregularities in electricity supplies. Ccmmunication among researchers working with tropical feed resources was found to be another limiting factor. It was resolved to extend the activities of the original Network to other countries in Africa and to join forces with the recently formed African Research Network on Agroindustrial Byproducts (ARNAB). It was proposed that the International Liv estock Centre for Africa, with its ccrnprehensive documentation and laboratory analytical facilities'. should provide the coordinating role. The conclusions and reccmmendations from the Dakar meeting were that there was a need to develop more appropriate procedures for evaluating crop residues and byproducts, taking into account the limited laboratory facilities of most institutions in Africa; and the nature of the livestock production systems, where multi-purpose traits such as draught power, ability to survive extended dry seasons and rural (transhumant) milk supply were greater relevance than the technologies from industrialized countries which emphasize specialized meat and milk production. The third meeting of the series was also organized by FAO and ILCA at Addis Ababa in March 1984 and addressed the specific issue of methodologies both for feed evaluation and research on livestock feeding systems. The advantages of promoting communication amoung different tropical regions w as emphasized by drawing on participants from Latin America, Asia and Africa to share their expaeriences with each other and with colleauges from Europe and North America, which have specific expertise to offer in the subject area. Consultation was charged with producinq two documents: the Proceedings dealing with the State of the Art of research into crop residues and byproducts; and a practical manual to serve as a guide for field workers, especially those operating with minimum facilities in terms of laboratory and literature support. Ruminants have received more attention than monogastrics. This is because, in tropical countries, they are generally the more important species from both the numerical and socio-econamic viewpoints. Furthermore, their physiological adaptations enable them to harvest and digest feeds, which are not available to the monogastric species, and which ipso facto are not competitive with humans for their food supply.