Livestock feeding sources and practices

Khan (2003) lists the following feeding practices prevalent in Northern Areas.
• Summer grazing in high pastures
• 70% of livestock feed comes from maize stover and wheat straw whereas 7% comes from Lucerne hay
• Cereals are sown at twice to thrice the recommended seeding rates which allows for thinning for green fodder and increases straw production
• High quality leguminous fodder is grown on part of the land. This includes shaftal for green fodder during spring and Lucerne to produce hay as winter feed
• Trees such as willow, mulberry and Russian olive are planted on field edges and their leaves and shoot are used as supplementary fodder during winter.

Recently a joint study of AKRSP, The Macaulay Institute UK, PFI, University of Bonn, PARC and ICIMOD was launched to examine current constraints to livestock production by measuring seasonal changes in feed availability and livestock productivity. It wants to test ways of relieving these constraints in order to improve production in a sustainable fashion. The research was to be conducted in six villages located across all the agro-ecological zones in the Northern Areas. On the livestock side, seasonal measurements of animal production were to be made in a sample of core households selected for intensive study. In addition seasonal utilization of animal feed resources were to be measured. These measurements will then be combined to identify critical feed resource deficits during the annual livestock management cycle (Macaulay Institute, 2004).

Meanwhile, the FAO/UNDP Project PAK/86/027, Gilgit, found that the poor state of livestock is not due to lack of knowledge but due to a lack of quality fodder especially in winter (Dost, 1996). This study demonstrated the introduction of better fodder to improve livestock health in Northern Areas. The main technology applied were the use of non-dormant lucernes (Soondar variety); the use of berseem instead of the traditional shaftal, since berseem is more productive in autumn and winter; the use of broad-leaved, multicut oat varieties instead of cutting green wheat or using old, poor oats; and the introduction of multicut hybrid sorghums as summer fodder.

The results of the study indicated that non-dormant lucerne was very successful. It produces throughout the year and has more than double the yield in lower areas. The new variety also provides green feed in the December-January period when traditional crops are dormant. Berseem provides five to six cuts per season (October to May), whereas the traditional shaftal varieties provide only two to three and none during the winter. The mixture of oats with berseem has also proved to be very popular.

Dost (1996) also reports that improved oat varieties are a potentially valuable fodder for the Northern Areas, since they grow much earlier and more vigorously than other winter-grown cereals. They produced fodder in Gilgit and Chilas at a time when no other green feed was available. Yields of 100 to 108 tonnes per ha of green feed were obtained.

The results have been summarized in the following table.

Table 27. Results of FAO/UNDP study on introduction of improved fodder in NAs

Source: Dost, M. 1996. Improved fodder in smallholder livestock production in northern Pakistan. World Animal Review, FAO publication
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The study found that in the third year of the project 2, 550 farmers were participating in improved fodder production and some 1,650 kg of seed had been sold by the project in addition to those by local merchants. In 1995, 800 farmers in Gilgit, 500 in Ghizer, 300 in Skardu, 250 in Ghanche and 700 in Diamar participated in the project. Hence it concluded that practices introduced by the project had been accepted by the farmers.