Assessment of Available Feed Resources in Damot Sore Woreda, Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

This study was conducted in Damot Sore Woreda, Wolaita Zone, Southern Nation Nationalities and People Regional State with the objective of assessing available feed resources in the area. Eighty households, 40 from Woinadega and 40 from Qolla were selected randomly. A semi-structured questionnaire was prepared and an interview was carried out to collect data. The major feed resources available in the study area included; natural pasture, crop residues, agro-industrial by-products and some improved forages like Elephant grass, pigeon pea, Guatemala, (Desho were described. The major feeding systems practiced in the area were free grazing, rotational grazing, zero grazing/cut and carry systems, tethering and herding together. The major feed production constraints forwarded by the farmers include shortage of grazing land lack of improved forage seed and lack of awareness about conservation of feeds during periods of high availability, less extension work on interventions of feed shortage through improved forage development although some efforts were made by the bureau of agriculture and nongovernmental organization. In general feed conservation in the form of silages and hay, supplementations of tree legumes and treatments of crop residues should be practiced to alleviate feed shortage and boost livestock productivity.

using semi-structured questionnaire to collect data on the type of feed resources, type of improve forages, grazing land size, agricultural by-products, crop residues and other non-conventional feed resources.

Data Collection
Data was obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was collected through interview using questionnaires and personal observation. The secondary data was obtained from written documents, agricultural offices and other sources.

Data Analysis
The data collected was analyzed using simple descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means, percentages, etc.

Household characteristics
The majority (61.3%) of households were male headed and (38.7%) females in the studied area. The average age of household head was 45.6 years. Out of the households included in the current study, about 23.8% Illiterate, 41.3% Elementary education completed and the rest accounted for about 18.7% were Junior, 10% High school and 6.2 % above High school respectively. The average family size of the surveyed households was 5.7 persons per household (Table 1) Table 2 indicated the average size of land holding per household and the use pattern of the area. The average total land holding per household in the study area was 0.88ha and the minimum and maximum land holding is 0.02 to 0.52ha, respectively per household. In the current study, larger land holding was allocated for cereal crop production (59%) like maize, wheat, teff, barley, pulse crops like hair coat bean are contributing larger proportion for household food and income generation. The crop residues obtained as by-products of these crops were playing significant role in supplying seasonal feed resources for the animals.

Land holding per household
Grazing land (Private gazing and communal grazing areas) were the major sources of animal feed. Communal grazing areas are decreasing from time to time and many individuals are relying on improving private gazing areas than communal areas. Cultivation of grazing land for farm land is another factor for the decrement of the grazing areas in the district.
The land allocated for forage production area (2.4 %) is relatively too small as compared to crop land. This reality is true in many parts of the country as well. As result the browse feeds contributing the dry season feed were declining and animals with browsing nature are depending on other feeds.

Available feed resources and Feeding system identified Feeds
Animal feeds represent the major input for any production systems. Respondents in the study area indicated that available feed resources for livestock came from different sources as follows. Natural Pasture Natural pasture is the most common feed resources for all livestock species in the study area. From the total respondents (50%) use natural pasture mainly and only (30%) of the respondents feed natural pasture with hay in the study area. Peoples their cattle to the grassland were naturally grown grasses, shrubs, herbs during morning and turn back during night. Crop residues are the main feed resources in the study area. Some of those crop residues mainly used in the study area were maize and sorghum Stover, wheat, teff, and barely straw were the major crop residues as shown in Table  4 below.

Agro-industrial by products
Agro-industrial by products are feed sources from milling industry, brewery industry, local distillers like "atela" of Areka and "tella", household feed wastes and others which had major role in increasing livestock productivity in the area as shown in table 5 below. Improved grasses have better productivity, palatability and nutrient characteristics that make them desirable for inclusion in improved forage production programs (Alemayehu, 2002). Improved legume forages species provide suitable source of protein and improves the productivity of the animals. Cultivated forages are mainly important as cut and carry system and source of feed and as supplement to crop residues and natural pasture. Elephant and Desho grasses are among the grass species and the herbaceous legumes are examples of cultivated forages (Agajie et al., 2002).

Sources of Improved forage
The sources of improved forage in the study area were presented in (Table 7). The higher proportion of households used improved forages for their livestock feed supply from NGO project is (45%). Most of the improved forage species (palris, Elephant grass and pigeon pea) introduced by RCBDI, (Guatemala, Desho, Elephant grass) by Send cow project (Desho and elephant grass) by district bureau of agricultural office. The respondent farmers had better awareness about improved forages because of repeated and sustainable training and demonstration was made by the bureau of agriculture and NGOs. However, the adoption pattern is very limited mainly because of the shortage of forage seeds at regional and national level. Cultivated forage and pasture crops are grown as nursery, back yard system as a live fence and in soil water conservation sites.
The reports of CSA (2008) indicated that improved forages are very few in coverage, which is not more than 1% at country level. This indicates most of the farmers are either not well aware of about the benefit of the improved forages or adoption due to land shortage because priority is given for food crops. Alemayehu and Sisay (2003) also reported that forage development approaches were started long years ago however, the adoption level is not encouraging. This does not mean that low efforts were made for introduction and follow up of the adoption process of the improved forages. For example, ministry of agriculture (MOA) started forage innovations and interventions starting at early 1980s through second, third and fourth livestock development projects. Concentrates is a feed or a feed mixture which supplies protein, carbohydrate and fat at high level but contains <18% of crude fiber with low moisture. It can be from home made and purchased from the market. It consists of relatively large quantity of a major feed constituent in the study area as shown table 8 below. Feeding systems are practiced in the studied area are free grazing, rotational grazing, zero grazing/cut and carry systems, tethering and herding together was practiced in the area as shown Table 9 below.

Constraints of feed production
Feed shortage both in quality and quantity is among the major livestock production and productivity problems. Constraints of livestock feed production identified in the studied are shown in Table 10. Table 10: Constraints to livestock feed production in the study area The major feed availability constraints forwarded by the farmers and other livestock holders during group discussion time include shortage of grazing land, lack of improved forage seed and lack of awareness about conservation of feeds during periods of high availability, less extension work on interventions of feed shortage through improved forage development although some efforts were made by the bureau of agriculture and nongovernmental organization. The nature of the problems varies among different areas. However, Woliata being highly populated zone in the region, crowded population influenced for the fast decrement size of the grazing lands, from which year round feed is coming.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
According to the present findings, the major feed resources available to livestock production in the study Woreda such as natural pasture, crop residues, agro-industrial by-products and different concentrates were identified and improved forages grown in the area were described. About 50% of the feed resources identified available for livestock production in the area was natural pasture followed by crop residue (42%). Most of the improved forage species produced in the Woreda included; Elephant grass, Pigeon pea, Guatemala (Desho). The major feeding systems practiced in the studied area were free grazing, rotational grazing, zero grazing/cut and carry systems, tethering and herding together. The major constraints feed production identified included shortage of grazing land, lack of improved forage seed and lack of awareness about conservation of feeds during periods of high availability, less extension work on interventions of feed shortage through improved forage. Based on the findings, feed conservation in the form of silages and hay should be practiced, plantations of improved forage should be increased to improve feed availability both in quantity and quantity and treatments of crop residues should be practiced in the area.