Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo

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cg.contributor.crpIntegrated Systems for the Humid Tropics
cg.coverage.countryCongo, Democratic Republic of
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2CD
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionMiddle Africa
cg.creator.identifierBirthe Paul: 0000-0002-5994-5354
cg.creator.identifierBrigitte L. Maass: 0000-0002-6164-3515
cg.howPublishedFormally Publisheden
cg.identifier.dataurlhttps://doi.org/10.7910/dvn/hbo4ecen
cg.identifier.urlhttp://www.jarts.info/index.php/jarts/article/view/2016092050939/887en
cg.issn1612-9830en
cg.issue2en
cg.journalJournal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropicsen
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen
cg.subject.ciatFARMING SYSTEMSen
cg.subject.ciatLIVESTOCKen
cg.subject.ciatTROPICAL FORAGESen
cg.subject.ilriANIMAL FEEDINGen
cg.subject.ilriFORAGESen
cg.volume117en
dc.contributor.authorPaul, Birthe K.en
dc.contributor.authorMuhimuzi-Lwaboshi, Fabriceen
dc.contributor.authorBacigale, Samy B.en
dc.contributor.authorWimba, Benjamin M.M.en
dc.contributor.authorChiuri, Wanjiku L.en
dc.contributor.authorAmzati, Gaston S.en
dc.contributor.authorMaass, Brigitte L.en
dc.date.accessioned2016-10-21T20:30:04Zen
dc.date.available2016-10-21T20:30:04Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/77352
dc.titleTowards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congoen
dcterms.abstractInadequate quantity and quality of livestock feed is a persistent constraint to productivity for mixed crop-livestock farming in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. To assess on-farm niches of improved forages, demonstration trials and participatory on-farm research were conducted in four different sites. Forage legumes included Canavalia brasiliensis (CIAT 17009), Stylosanthes guianensis (CIAT 11995) and Desmodium uncinatum (cv. Silverleaf), while grasses were Guatemala grass (Tripsacum andersonii), Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) French Cameroon, and a local Napier line. Within the first six months, forage legumes adapted differently to the four sites with little differences among varieties, while forage grasses displayed higher variability in biomass production among varieties than among sites. Farmers’ ranking largely corresponded to herbage yield from the first cut, preferring Canavalia, Silverleaf desmodium and Napier French Cameroon. Choice of forages and integration into farming systems depended on land availability, soil erosion prevalence and livestock husbandry system. In erosion prone sites, 55–60%of farmers planted grasses on field edges and 16–30% as hedgerows for erosion control. 43% of farmers grew forages as intercrop with food crops such as maize and cassava, pointing to land scarcity. Only in the site with lower land pressure, 71% of farmers grew legumes as pure stand. When land tenure was not secured and livestock freely roaming, 75% of farmers preferred to grow annual forage legumes instead of perennial grasses. Future research should develop robust decision support for spatial and temporal integration of forage technologies into diverse smallholder cropping systems and agro-ecologies.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.bibliographicCitationPaul, Birthe K.; Muhimuzi, Fabrice L.; Bacigale, Samy B.; Wimba, Benjamin M. M.; Chiuri, Wanjiku L.; Amzati, Gaston S.; Maass, Brigitte L.. 2016. Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo . Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics 117(2): 243-254.en
dcterms.extent243-254en
dcterms.issued2016
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.publisherKassel University Pressen
dcterms.subjectfeed cropsen
dcterms.subjectforageen
dcterms.subjectpennisetum purpureumen
dcterms.subjectfarming systemsen
dcterms.subjectlivestocken
dcterms.subjectlegumesen
dcterms.subjectsmallholdersen
dcterms.subjectforrajesen
dcterms.subjectsistemas de explotaciónen
dcterms.subjectganadoen
dcterms.subjectleguminosasen
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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