Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Farming Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) has urged farmers to embark on fodder crop production to ensure adequate supplementary feed for their livestock in the advent of drought.
ZFU president Mr Abdul Nyathi said recurrent droughts experienced had led to farmers losing most of their livestock especially cattle, a situation that has left most of them impoverished as they were dependent on that agricultural enterprise as a source of their livelihood.
“Two weeks ago we attended a field day at Tshongogwe in Lupane where the farmer exhibited the best practice of rearing livestock under drought conditions through cultivating fodder crops, which went on to be used as feed.
“The field day was attended by agricultural experts from Government departments and non-governmental organisations that went on to highlight issues to do with water conservation techniques and proper animal husbandry,” Mr Nyathi said.
Fodder, a type of animal feed, is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs.
It includes hay, straw, silage, compressed and pelleted feeds, oils and mixed rations, and sprouted grains and legumes.
Most animal feed is from plants, but some manufacturers add ingredients to processed feeds that are of animal origin.
“As ZFU we are cognisant that we had a serious drought last year and prior to that thus we have embarked on an educational programme whereby we teach farmers the importance of growing fodder crops as one of the measures to reduce livestock death due to the effects of drought.
“We have introduced the programme to droughtprone areas such as Matabeleland North and South provinces and Masvingo but ideally this programme should be conducted throughout the country as effects of climatic change are being felt everywhere. Farmers should always have adequate and readily available water sources to grow crops not only for their own consumption but for livestock as well. If there isn’t enough rain they should irrigate such crops,” Mr Nyathi said.
He said ZFU was in the process of engaging financial institutions to fund farmers that intend to venture into fodder production.
“We don’t have adequate funding to scale up the programme and have it done on a large scale but we are engaging banks to assist such farmers with loans as they are likely to repay,” Mr Nyathi said.
Department of Livestock Production and Development Matabeleland South provincial livestock specialist Mrs Simangaliphi Ngwabi said fodder production was important in livestock management.
“If you have realised soon after the rains there is a lot of fallow land. However, this land can be utilised by growing grass or fodder crops. Thus encouraging fodder production is a very noble idea but I wouldn’t encourage irrigating without considering its effectiveness unless if one is into fattening,” Mrs Ngwabi said.