There for the picking: cheap feed options and worm treatments. Validated RNRRS Output.
Abstract
This is one of 280 summaries describing key outputs from the projects run by DFID's 10-year Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy (RNRRS) programmes.
Summary for Project titles: R7351: Increasing the productivity in smallholder owned goats on Acacia Thornveld and R7424: Can feeding locally-available plant material rich in tannins reduce parasitic burden in ruminants and hence improve their productivity?
Research in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, India and Kenya has identified tree fruits as a promising option for improving the diets of goats. Poor goat keepers can't afford to buy commercial feeds to supplement diets in the dry season. This causes slow growth and high death rates among kids— which are mainly born either at the end or at the beginning of the dry season. Tree fruits are a good cheap option to feed pregnant or suckling goats, because they can easily be collected and stored for use when needed. Related research in Tanzania has also shown that tannin-rich tree forages could help to reduce the amount of worms in the stomachs of sheep, improving productivity and the animals' health.
The CD has the following information for this output: Description, Validation, Current Situation, Current Promotion, Impacts On Poverty, Environmental Impact. Attached PDF (23 pp.) taken from the CD.
Citation
LPP16, New technologies, new processes, new policies: tried-and-tested and ready-to-use results from DFID-funded research, Research Into Use Programme, Aylesford, Kent, UK, ISBN 978-0-9552595-6-2, p 61.