Page 108 - Agroforestry system - book inner (final corrected) - 9.-3-21_Neat

National level e-symposium on “Agroforestry system for augmenting livestock
productivity and empowering resource poor rural farmers”

VALUE ADDITION OF FODDER OBTAINED FROM AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM FOR
ENHANCING LIVESTOCK PRODUCTIVITY

C. Valli
Professor and Head
Institute of Animal Nutrition, Kattupakkam,
Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University

Livestock are important sources of food for people throughout the world. They provide milk its related
products, high-quality meat protein and other by-products. Livestock species also play very important
economic and socio-cultural roles for the wellbeing of rural households, such as food supply, source of
income, asset saving, source of employment, soil fertility, livelihoods, transport, agricultural traction,
agricultural diversification and sustainable agricultural production (Bettencourt et al., 2015). The livestock
census of India in 2019 indicates that the total Livestock population is 535.78 million in the country showing
an increase of 4.6% over Livestock Census of 2012. The Indian livestock sector contributes 4.11% of the
gross domestic product and 25.6% of the full agricultural GDP. One of the major constraints to livestock
production in India, is a shortage of feed and fodder. A deficit of 65 percent of green fodder and 25 percent
of dry fodder is expected for Indian livestock by the year 2025 (Singh, et al., 2013). This shortage is due
to increasing pressure on land for growing food grains, oilseeds and pulses and inadequate attention being
given to the production of fodder crops. Most of the grazing lands have either been degraded or encroached
upon restricting its availability for grazing. The area under fodder cultivation is limited to about 4 per cent
of the cropping area, and it has remained static for the last four decades.
To meet the demands of an increasing livestock population and also enhance their productivity
availability of feed resources have to be increased. there is a need to adopt the practice of land use with
multiple crops in a sustainable manner.

Agroforestry is a sustainable land management system that integrates the production of crops and forest
plants and/or animals simultaneously or sequentially, on the same land. Adopting silvi-pastoral and horti-
pastoral agroforestry models suitable to the area could help in substantially enhancing the availability of
forage for the livestock. The productivity of livestock in agroforestry systems depends on the quality and
yield of the forages produced throughout the year. In arid and semi-arid areas or other lands submitted to
extended periods of drought, understory forage production alone is not enough to sustain an economically
viable livestock production operation. Silvipasture offers alternative animal feed sources such as tree leaves
or pods (Jose and Dollinger, 2019). The environmental benefits of silvipasture compared to open-pasture
systems are multiple and range from enhanced carbon storage to enriched biodiversity. Hortipasture is another
agroforestry system which integrates fruit trees with pasture (grasses and/ or legumes) along with soil and
water conservation measures it is one of the best and economic alternative system for rainfed area.

Availability of nutritious fodder throughout the year is very essential for profitable livestock production.
But the availability of fodder even under agroforestry systems varies from season to season. Storing forage
for use in the non-growing season is an ancient practice. The surplus forages of glut seasons i.e. rainy season
and winter season could easily be carried over to lean periods of fodder supply if they are conserved suitably.
Although forages, such as grasses, legumes and tree forages, are available in plenty from agroforestry systems,

Institute of Animal Nutrition, Centre for Animal Production Studies, TANUVAS
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development 89