Crop residues utilization as livestock feed in Emohua and Obio-Akpor Local Government areas of Rivers state, Nigeria

Abstract

total of 40 farmers in Emohua and Obio-Akpor Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Rivers State were investigated to determine their extent of crop residues utilization as livestock feed. The Participatory Rural Appraisal method was adopted in the administration of questionnaires to respondents during the study while, collected crop residues were later analysed for proximate composition. Maize sievate was the most preferred (30.0%), while, cassava leaves (1.7%) were the least preferred based on affordability (51.4%), availability (34.3%), and shelf life (11.4%). About
57.1% of the farmers utilized crop residues as feed and incorporated it at 20.0% inclusion level. The recorded dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) were significantly lower (p<0.05) in banana peels and higher in groundnut haulms. Crude protein (CP) ranged from 0.9 g 100 g-1 DM
for cassava peels to 8.8 g 100 g-1 DM for cassava leaves while, crude fibre (CF) content ranged (p<0.05) from 15.2 g 100 g-1 DM for yam peels to 44.2 g 100 g-1 DM for groundnut haulms. The least preference for cassava leaves, despite its higher CP content, underscores the need for
awareness creation for the use of crop residues to achieve optimum productivity during the dryseason.

Keywords: Farmer attitudes, farming systems, feed utilization, nutrient analysis, residues