Feeding practices in sheep stockbreeding in Algeria steppe (M'Sila region): Current situation and prospects for improvement
The Algerian steppe territory covers 20 million hectares and is located between the isohyets of 100 and 400 mm/year. It is home to17 million sheep (MADRP, 2016). For the past 50 years, it knowing many changes and transformations resulting from the stockbreeding management that contributed to a decline in forage productivity and the surface of steppe pastures. In this way, steppe pasture covers only 30 to 40% of the animal's feed needs. In this situation, stockbreeders are adopting various feeding strategies. Our objective was to assess the feeding practices adopted by the herders in M'Sila region. This region has 1 million ha of rangelands and hosts 1.63 million sheep heads (DSA, 2016). One hundred herders, from the different breeding systems and different pastoral areas, were investigated by technical-organizational approaches. The analysis of field interviews revealed the presence of two feeding calendars, involving different feed sources (concentrate feeds, cultivated forages, and cereal co-products). Although the intake of concentrated feeds is a recurrent practice to meet animal needs (about 40% of ration), there are new feeding trends based on the direct consumption of green fodder (barley, oat and alfalfa). The choice of feeding strategies to be undertaken depends on the socio-economic and agricultural considerations of each herder (herd size, financial capacity, farming practice, income diversification, etc.).
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | conference_item biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Published: |
CIHEAM
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| Online Access: | http://agritrop.cirad.fr/594616/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/594616/1/ID594616.pdf |
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