IFAD/ICARDA Knowledge Exchange Workshop, 26-29 October 2009

Knowledge and Technology Exchange for Enhanced Quality of IFAD/ICARDA Operations in the NENA region

Technologies to improve livestock productivity in drylands

Presented byBarbara Rischkowsky

on behalf of ICARDA's Livestock Research Section

Challenges for livestock production in drylands Climate change scenarios predict increasing climatic variability and

therefore increasing risk of crop failure Ongoing processes of land desertification, including decreasing

productivity of rangelands Unfavorable land tenure and property rights (the commons) Competition for arable land between human food, feeds or biofuel Competition in the use of crop residues between livestock and

conservation agriculture Increasing incomes, human population and urbanization cause rises in

the demand for livestock foods Consumers and markets increasingly demand product quality & safety Diseases remain a major constraint to productivity and to food safety Inefficient extension, top down technology transfer (low adoption of

available technologies)

Resulting areas for interventions

In line with our mandate we focus on small ruminant production

Improved ruminant feeding systems for producing quality animal products

Enhancing forage production and use from arable land Rangeland monitoring, rehabilitation and grazing

management Product quality and processing Characterization & sustainable use of SR genetic resources Husbandry practices Animal health service delivery

• Problems:– High costs of supplements in

dry years– Cereals used as feeds– Unbalanced rations

• Solutions:– Low cost balanced diets for

intensive and semi-intensive systems using available by-products and crop residues

• Feed blocks • On-farm testing of rations for

dairy sheep and fattening

Feeding technologies : strategic feeding of low cost balanced diets

Effect of strategic feeding of urea-molasses feed mixtures on performance of ewes & lambs

(Average of two years, 7 flocks in 3 villages)

Feeding periods & traits

Alternative feeding

Traditional feeding

Difference (%)

Mating and late pregnancy periodMating period, days 50 87 -43Twinning rate, % 32 11 191Birth weight, kg 4.4 3.9 15Lactation60-90 day growth rate, g/d 250 178 42Lactation and milk production periodMilk yield, kg/ewe 72 55 31Lactation length, weeks 17 15 13

Strategic feeding of low cost balanced diets - example diet for dairy sheep in El Bab

• Benefits:– Strategic supplementation resulted in a

net gain of 19 $US per ewe compared to traditional feeding

– In an average flock of 50 ewes using this technology would generate ~935 US$

Technology for improved feeding: strategic feeding of low cost balanced diets

Strategic feeding of low cost balanced diets - example diet for dairy sheep in El Bab

Feeding technologies: feed blocks

Partial/total replacement of

concentrate feeds

TunisiaIraq

Tunisia

Straw Ad-lib Ad-lib

Concentrate feed 500 g 250 g

FB 0 FB

Daily gain 63 g 74 g

Difference in feeding cost - 20 %

Feeding technologies: feed blocks

Partial replacement of concentrates

• Overall adoption rate: 13% to 54% in different countries• Internal rate of return: 67% for Iraq and 57% for Tunisia

Discount Rate (%) B/C Ratio IRR (%)10 1.56 87

20 1.48 71

30 1.41 58

Economic Feasibility of Using Feed Blocks in Sheep Feeding

Feeding technologies: feed blocks

Urea-treated straw – a well known fully tested technology with a low adoption rate

Feeding technologies – enhance the nutritive value of cereal crop residues

Opening urea-treated Straw (Um Mil village)

Advantage:• Raises quality of wheat straw

to the quality of lentil straw • Easy to learn• Locally available material

Feeding technologies – enhance the nutritive value of cereal crop residues

Disadvantage:• Labor intensive• Urea price has increased • Economic feasibility changes

with rainfall

Alternative feed resources: spineless cactus

• Water use efficiency• Drought tolerant• High in sugars, beta-carotene, pectins• High in water• Reduces the use of concentrate feeds• Alley cropping (cactus-barley) increased grain yield

by 180%

Integration of Cactus and fibrous feeds- example of a typical feeding calendar in arid Tunisia

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Barley

Bran

fallow

Range

Cactus

Straw

Alternative feed resources: spineless cactus

Tunisia :• Adoption rate: 46%• IRR: 73-80%Algeria:• Adoption rate: 40%• IRR: 71-99%

Alternative feed resources: fodder shrubs and trees

Benefit from tanniniferous fodder shrubs Anthelmintic activity of tanniniferous species Alley-cropping (higher cereal grain yield)

Fodder shrubs and trees – use in alley cropping

• Return on investment– Cactus alley cropping with subsidy: 53%; without subsidy 17%– Atriplex alley cropping: 29%

• Environmental benefits– Reduced soil erosion– Improved soil organic matter– Improved available soil moisture– Estimated environment benefit in Morocco: US$425/ha

Fodder shrubs and trees – use in alley cropping

Technology for improved milking techniques

• Problems in traditional milking– Health problems of women– Milk contamination

• Solutions:– Simple milking ramp in

combinationwith improved hygiene

• Cleaning udders before milking• Teat immersion after milking

and • Feeding by performance• Performance recording

• The benefits: – Comfortable milking– Cleaner milk– Better udder control– Mastitis detection– Higher quality products

reflecting in better income• Obstacles:

– Requires collaboration between farmers to make best use of the investment

– Sharing limited to a small number of farmers because of timing of the milking

– Cost-benefit ratio not easy to determine

Technology for improved milking techniques

Technology for improved yogurt processing• Problems reported by dairy farmers in

Syria:– Weak texture and bad transportability– Sourness of yogurt

• Solutions:– Yogurt culture with different firmness– Use of a thermometer to avoid

contamination

• The benefits:– High quality yogurt and reduced milk

spoilage due to contaminated starters– Firm texture, resisting transportation on

bumpy roads– More net income

Technologies for improved cheese processing: case study in Mexico

• The communities focus on cheese production with good market demand locally and as far as in the US (ethnic markets)

• Main problems:– high contamination

cheese spoilage– cheese did not to melt well

affecting marketability– Meting is critical in

preparation of quesadilla, traditional breakfast

21

Solutions to the quesadilla problem

Technical changes:• Better hygiene• Pasteurization of milk (farmers had

heard about it but did not use it)• Use of a suitable cheese culture to

enable proper melting of the cheese

Filtration

Renetting

Pre-pressingUnder whey

Cutting

Row milk

Molding

End product

Pressing

Salting10-15% solution

Pasteurization73°C/15sec

Starter

Ca Cl2

Max 20g/100L

• A simple modification of processing will reduce hand work like pre-pressing of the curd and will enhance the quality

• Storing the rennet in refrigerator will maintain the activity of the enzyme

• The benefits: – Comfortable processing– Better quality– Maintain the doze of rennet addition– better salt concentration

Technologies for improved cheese processing: case study in Mexico

• Key constraints– Low-yielding varieties– Quality seed availability– Inappropriate production methods– Ineffective extension– Lack of institutions

• Solutions– High-yielding forages– Seed production– Best practices

Technologies for fodder production:example Afghanistan

High-yielding forages identified: grasspea & vetch

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

Grain Straw

12-year average, 3 replicates

High-yielding forages identified: grasspea & vetch

Demonstrating high yielding forages – field days

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

BalaiAsia

Labenar

Mataki

Saraki-4

Logari

Shinwari

Ghorbani

Saraki Mamorin

Saraki Atiq

Atiq Khan

Kotiha

Sarak-3

Saraki Awal

Sarak-2

Participating Households

Participation in the fodder project600 participating households in 13 villages

Testing and demonstrating foragesin Syria – field days (IFAD research grant)

Testing and demonstrating foragesin Syria – field days (IFAD research grant)

To replace traditional methods monitoring

vegetation cover

Original ImageProcessed Image

Digital Charting Technique

Based on

Digital Image Processing

Monitoring and assessment of rangeland condition at local scale

Multi-Purpose Pastoral Species

Maintaining biodiversity - Characterization and Conservation

Perennial Legumes and Grasses

Maintaining biodiversity - characterization and conservation

Shrub Plantations