Dual-purpose crops productivity and small-scale dairy farmers’ food security efforts toward climate variability and change in Benin

Abstract

Dual-purpose cropping (sowing crops with the intention of both grazing them during vegetative growth and harvesting grain thereafter  for household consumption) is certainly a promising way to address challenges face by small-scale dairy farmers in Benin due to climate  variability and change. This study evaluated the impact of climate variability and change on dual-purpose crops productivity  performances and nutritional values in Benin’s climatic regions. Four dual-purpose crops were studied. They are maize fodder, sorghum  fodder, peanut fodder and cowpea fodder. The grain yield across various climate regions and years were assessed. Also fodders samples  were analysed according to official methods of AOAC. The results showed that dual purposes crops yield were significantly affected  particularly in some years in many regions of Benin by climate parameters variation. The variation of humidity had a negative effect on  cereals dual-purpose crops production in Guinean region while the impacts of temperature and rainfall on dual purpose crops were  higher in Sudanian region. The model for predicting the resistance of dual-purpose crops to climate variability and change revealed that  The Annual Yield of Sorghum Grain was significantly influenced by humidity (P=0.0111), Rainfall (P=0.0374) and Weather station/Region  (P=0.0493), as well as by the interaction between temperature and Grain Yield per Hectare (P=0.0423). The annual quantity of maize  produced varied significantly with temperature (P=0.00154), humidity, Rainfall (P=0. 00792), Weather station/ Region (P=0.00362). The  Annual Yield of Cowpea Grain production varied significantly with Temperature and Humidity (0.0205). Furthermore, temperature,  humidity, year and Grain Yield per Hectare significantly affected the Annual Yield of Peanut Grain Produced. Nutritional values of the four  studies dual-purpose crops were assessed. The energy values were 0.60 and 0.50 UFL/kg of Dry Matter respectively for sorghum-fodder  and maize-fodder, the contents of digestible nitrogenous materials (MAD) were 1 and 0 g/kg of DM respectively for sorghum-fodder and  maize-fodder. If the energy values were quite good for cereals fodder, the nitrogen values were very low. This study highlighted the  nutritional advantage of leguminous fodders over cereal fodders.