Bioeconomic evaluation of feedings strategies in the yearling beef cattle system in Mozambique

AbstractLablab (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet) is a drought-tolerant legume mainly used as human food and livestock forage, and also as medicinal plant. However, it remains underutilised because of negative attributes, including insect pest susceptibility, anti-nutritional compounds in the seeds, a long growth period and daylength sensitivity in landraces. Lablab is often grown as an insurance crop alongside traditional or staple crops on smallholder farms because of its ability to survive dry and hot seasons that might cause other crops to fail. Recent work has begun to investigate the genetic basis of some morphological and physiological traits, the partitioning of genetic variation, and identifying varieties with important agronomic features. The crop comprises vast, but largely underexploited diversity. Being the only species in the genus Lablab and phylogenetically distinct from other cultivated legumes in the genera Vigna and Phaseolus make lablab an interesting species for comparison in the legumes. Further, the evidence suggests that lablab was domesticated twice (or is made up of two wild-domesticated pairs of taxa), and these gene pools differ in some important traits, most notable the number of seeds per pod and the genome size. This offers the potential for exciting evolutionary questions to be answered and affords more power for studies aiming to understand the genetic basis of domesticated phenotypes.KeywordsLablabHyacinth beanUnderutilisedGenomeMolecular markersFood securityNutraceutical 

The Lablab Genome: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

The study investigated the factors that influence the extent of the use of fodder technologies in the Insiza District of Zimbabwe, as well as the reasons for their low adoption and the lower participation of women than men in fodder interventions. A mixed methods approach was used and data were collected using a structured questionnaire, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The multi-stage sampling approach was used to generate a sample of 224 respondents who received training on fodder production from the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) intervention. Using the ordered probit regression model, factors such as gender, education level attained, cattle herd size, total livestock units, land size, willingness to invest more in fodder, engagement in farm enterprises, and intensity of collaborations were found to significantly influence the number of improved fodder technologies adopted. In addition, farmers perceived that fodder technologies are beneficial. The imposition of externally determined innovations, as well as the scarcity of seed for fodder crops, were cited as the primary reasons for the low adoption of fodder technologies promoted prior to the ZRBF intervention. Findings also suggested the existence of gender-specific constraints emanating from the prevalence of a powerful patriarchal culture as the major factor limiting women’s participation in fodder interventions relative to men. Thus, the study recommends that the ZRBF and the government design well-packaged rural development policies, promote equitable gender participation and adopt participatory approaches when proffering solutions to local community problems. The study’s original contributions include the use of a mixed methods approach, a focus on the extent of fodder technology adoption rather than the probability of adoption, and an investigation into the reasons for women’s lower participation than men in fodder intervention. 

Determinants of smallholder livestock farmers’ adoption decisions of improved fodder technologies in Insiza District

Livestock are critical for incomes, livelihoods, nutrition and ecosystems management throughout the global South. Livestock production and the consumption of livestock-based foods such as meat, cheese and milk is, however, under global scrutiny for its contribution to global warming, deforestation, biodiversity loss, water use, pollution and land/soil degradation. This paper argues that, although the environmental footprint of livestock production presents a real threat to planetary sustainability, also in the global south, this is highly contextual. Under certain context-specific management regimes livestock can deliver multiple benefits for people and planet. We provide evidence that a move towards sustainable livestock production is possible and could mitigate negative environmental impacts and even provide critical ecosystem services, such as improved soil health, carbon sequestration and enhanced biodiversity on farms. The use of cultivated forages, many improved through selection or breeding and including grasses, legumes and trees, in integrated crop-tree-livestock systems is proposed as a stepping stone towards agroecological transformation. We introduce cultivated forages, explain their multi-functionality and provide an overview of where and to what extent the forages have been applied and how this has benefited people and the planet alike. We then examine their potential to contribute to the 13 principles of agroecology and find that integrating cultivated forages in mixed crop-tree-livestock systems follows a wide range of agroecological principles and increases the sustainability of livestock production across the globe. More research is, however, needed at the food system scale to fully understand the role of forages in the sociological and process aspects of agroecology. We make the case for further genetic improvement of cultivated forages and strong multi-disciplinary systems research to strengthen our understanding of the multidimensional impacts of forages and for managing agro-environmental trade-offs. We finish with a call for action, for the agroecological and livestock research and development communities to improve communication and join hands for a sustainable agri-food system transformation.

Tapping Into the Environmental Co-benefits of Improved Tropical Forages for an Agroecological Transformation of Livestock Production Systems

The major challenge to adoption of improved forage technologies in the smallholder farming sector is poor accessibility to seed of improved cultivars. Since 2012, the Zimbabwe Crop Livestock Integration for Improved Food Security (ZimCLIFS) project set out to address such challenges through research-for-development initiatives. The main objective was to demonstrate the potential viability of a pasture seed business using a lead farmer approach, farmer-to-farmer technology dissemination, innovation platforms and field demonstrations. Snapshot surveys were used to map forage seed distribution pathways within and outside project areas. Total land area planted to forages from the 2012/13 to 2014/15 seasons increased by 147% from 14.6 ha. In 2013, Mucuna pruriens (mucuna), Lablab purpureus (lablab) and Vigna unguiculata (cowpea) seed produced was 2 250 kg, 120 kg and 4 450 kg, respectively, and by the third season, total yield increased by 163%. Seed diffusion was within and beyond project boundaries, with muc...

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Forage seed production and trade as a pathway out of poverty in the smallholder sector: lessons from the Zimbabwe Crop Livestock Integration for Food Security (ZimCLIFS) project

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Forage seed production and trade as a pathway out of poverty in the smallholder sector: lessons from the Zimbabwe Crop Livestock Integration for Food Security (ZimCLIFS) project