Identification and evaluation of agroecosystem compartments as forage sources for free-ranging goats in smallholder farming systems of western Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Free-ranging goats forage across multiple agroecosystem compartments, thereby contributing to nutrient redistribution. Despite their importance in nutrient flows, little is known about how these compartments support goat diets or about their spatial structure. This study addresses this gap by identifying, mapping, and characterising the agroecosystems exploited by free-ranging goats as forage sources and by assessing the contribution of each compartment to their daily diet. Twelve adult female goats from local herds were monitored during both the dry and rainy seasons for three consecutive days at four sites, using GPS collars combined with drone surveys and direct observations. Two observers were assigned to each goat: one, equipped with a stopwatch and tracking sheet, recorded feeding stations, forages consumed, and biting times; the other, using a Sony HDR-CX405 camera, documented biting behaviour.

Drone-based mapping revealed five distinct compartments of the foraging area: croplands (6.1 %–14.8 %), fallow lands (2.7 %–12.5 %), rangelands (36.4 %–69.7 %), residue supply areas (9.8 %–46.7 %), and hedgerows (0.1 %–5.4 %). The agroecosystem landscapes were highly fragmented (24–54 patches/ha) and exhibited SHDI values ranging from 0.94 to 1.19. Goats consumed 57 forage species, dominated by grasses (17 %) and legumes (9 %), with the remaining 74 % spanning 31 botanical families. The integration of GPS tracks with land-use maps and direct observations revealed that rangelands and agricultural lands were the primary contributors to free-ranging goats’ daily dry matter intake and forage species diversity. The marked heterogeneity and floristic richness of these agroecosystem compartments underpin their importance as key forage sources supporting smallholder free-range goat farming in western Democratic Republic of Congo.