Estimation of Demand and Supply Balance of Livestock Feed in Haru District, Western Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Background Ethiopia has the largest livestock population in Africa, making livestock crucial for food security and rural livelihoods in the country. However, the scarcity of feed, both in quantity and quality, is a major limiting factor in improving livestock productivity. The availability of major feed resources, particularly natural pastures and crop residues, is primarily influenced by agro‐ecology and season. Objective The objective of this study was to assess feed resources and estimate the balance between feed supply and demand per year in terms of dry matter (DM), digestible crude protein (DCP) and metabolizable energy (ME) for the existing livestock in two agro‐ecological zones (AEZs) in the Haru district of Western Ethiopia. Methods Data were collected from 174 smallholder livestock farmers (114 from ML and 60 from LL AEZs) using a semi‐structured questionnaire administered through face‐to‐face interviews. The feed balance was calculated as the difference between feed supply and livestock feed demand per year in terms of DM, ME and DCP. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20, with the cross‐tabulation used to examine the statistical variance of categorical data. Results The findings revealed that natural pasture, crop residues, native grass hay, non‐conventional feed resources (NCFRs), indigenous fodder trees and shrubs (IFTSs), improved forages and crop aftermath were the main feed resources available in the study area. The annual feed DM, DCP and ME supply in ML and LL AEZs are 8.98 ± 0.09 tons and 9.68 ± 0.01 tons, 138.17 and 137.47 kg, and 54,860.841 and 61,160.841 MJ at the household level, respectively. Crop residues contributed the highest proportion (68.3% in ML and 69.5% in LL) of the total DM supply. The annual feed DM, DCP and ME requirement for maintenance of livestock was estimated to be 15.91 ± 0.58 and 13.82 ± 0.77 tons, 407.05 and 353.9 kg, and 75,914.45 and 66,003.1 MJ, respectively. The DM, DCP and ME supply satisfied only about 56.4% and 70.0%, 33.9% and 38.8%, and 72.3% and 92.7% of the annual maintenance requirement of livestock in ML and LL AEZs, respectively, showing a net deficit of 43.6% and 30%, 66.1% and 61.2%, and 27.7% and 7.3% in DM, DCP and ME per year in ML and LL AEZs, respectively. The feed deficit was higher in the ML compared to the LL AEZ, possibly due to the higher livestock population in the ML. Conclusion The study showed that scarcity of feed supply in terms of DM, DCP and ME is a major constraint limiting livestock productivity in the study area. The feed supply showed a deficit (negative balance) of 43.6% and 30% DM, 66.1% and 61.2% DCP and 27.7% and 7.3% ME in ML and LL AEZs, respectively. The findings showed that livestock are being underfed in both AEZs of the study area. To address this, natural pasture improvement, grazing management, forage production, efficient utilization of the local conventional and NCFRs, feed conservation, urea treatment of crop residues, implementing alternative feeding practices, reducing livestock numbers and strategic supplementation are recommended to bridge the gap between feed supply and demand for sustainable livestock production in the study area.