ASSESSMENT OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION PRACTICES, FEED RESOURCES AND THEIR NUTRITIONAL VALUE IN DEGHABUR DISTRICT, SOMALI REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

The study was conducted in Deghabur district of Somali Regional State, with the objectives of generating base line information about the livestock husbandry practices, to identify the available feed resources. The study was undertaken in four purposely selected Peasant Associations (PAs) according to their road accessibility and potential for livestock population; total sample sizes of 120 household were used for the study. Semi structured questionnaires were held with pastoralists as well as group discussions followed data collected with the districts zonal offices. Feed sample was collected in dry and wet seasons. Livestock production plays an important role in pastoral area and pastoralists in the study district owned diversified livestock species that includes camels, Goats, Sheep, Cattle, Donkeys and Chickens but The overall mean of goat, sheep, camel, cattle, donkey and chicken owned by a household was 40, 25.49, 7.13, 2, 1.49 and 0.65, respectively. Goats and Sheep were the highly valuable livestock by the district followed by Camels. Livestock population in the study area was declining during the last three decades, due to feed shortage (rank 1), drought (rank 2), water scarcity (rank 3) and diseases (rank 4). Major livestock feed resources are rangeland pasture (50 and 79.2%) crop residue (15.7 and 8.3%), crop aftermath (10%), and indigenous fodder trees (70.8 and 61.7%) during dry and wet seasons, respectively. The DM content of range feed in the study areas was 90.7 and 92.0, in wet and dry season, respectively. There is no significant difference (P>0.05) in Dry matter of all feeds between seasons. The ash contents ranged from 10.91% during rainy season to 7.86% during dry season. No significant difference (P > 0.05) in ash contents was observed between the range feeds at different seasons. The CP content of range feed was significantly different (P<0.001) between both seasons and CP ranged from 10.6% to 14.7% and 3.8% to 9.3% in the species Sporobolus spicatus and Tephrosia villosafor both seasons respectively. Tephrosia villosa had the high content of 9.3% CP in the dry season followed by Dobera glabra 9.0%. But there was no significantly difference among the species for CP content in the wet season, while light to major drop was observed for the dry season results particularly in Sporobolus spicatus and Grewia tenex. The NDF and ADF contents of all range feed were significantly different (P<0.05) between dry and wet seasons, but there is no significant difference (P>0.05) in ADL content between all feed. Therefore, the livestock production is the main means of livelihood of the population so, it need Proper understanding for development actors to improve the livelihood of the pastoralists.