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Milking crops for all their worth

Published by:
Publication date
26/05/2008
Language:
English
Type of Publication:
Working Papers & Briefs
Focus Region:
Sub-Saharan Africa
Focus Topic:
Agricultural Value Chains / Agri-Businesses
Source
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/r4d/PDF/Outputs/CropProtection/R7346milkingcrops.pdf
Author
ICRISAT

Demand for milk and meat is increasing in South Asia, and this increases the demand for animal feeds. For poor households, crop residues are the main source of animal fodder, since they cannot afford to buy in feed. Sales of residues for fodder also provide a useful source of additional cash income. Sorghum and groundnuts provide most of the crop residues for animal feed. However, these crops are susceptible to diseases that are likely to affect the quantity and nutritive value of the residues, as well as grain yield. Ultimately this reduces milk production. A CPP-funded project is complementing other work to improve the quality of fodder, coordinated by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), a CGIAR (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) centre based in India. The project conducted a participatory socioeconomic study to assess farmer perceptions, their awareness, and the relative importance and impact of plant diseases in farmer livelihood systems. Village case studies were carried out in four villages in the state of Andhra Pradesh on the Deccan Plateau using participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques.