Determination of feed balance for smallholder mixed crop–livestock farming system in Adwa district of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

A feed inventory and feed balance assessment study was conducted in Adwa district of central Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, with the objective to investigate available feed resources and evaluate livestock feed requirements under the smallholder mixed crop–livestock production system. Sixty livestock households were selected systematically from two farmer associations that were selected for their livestock potential. Livestock holding size, feed types, feed availability and feed demand were estimated using household interviews. Representative feed sampled were collected at field and analysed for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and in vitro DM digestibility. Metabolizable energy (ME) and digestible CP (DCP) were estimated from equations. Feed balance was evaluated as the difference between feed supply and feed demand. The collected data were subjected to a descriptive statistical analysis. The major livestock feed resources available in the area included crop residues, crop stubble, grazing lands and mixed hay. On average, about 1.84 tonne DM feed, 13,635 MJ ME and 99.13 kg DCP were produced at farm level in year-round base. Crop residues (51%) was the dominant contributor of the annual feed resource base followed by grazing lands (34%), stubble grazing (11%) and mixed hay (4%) in descending order. A negative feed balance was seen for all nutrient types. The livestock are faced with critical deficiency of 56% DM, 52% ME and 57% DCP. This implies that the livestock production is practiced under annual feed deficit conditions.