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Awareness and use of improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households in the West African Sahel

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Abstract

Seasonal scarcity of quality feed continues to be a bottleneck for agro-pastoralists and is the most important limitation to livestock production in agro-pastoral systems in the West African Sahel. In this regard, diverse promising technologies to increase the production and availability of quality feed have been introduced. Despite the introduction of various feed technologies in the region, the adoption rate by smallholder farmers is very low. The objective of this study was to identify factors affecting the likelihood of using improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households in two regions of Niger. A logit model was employed using data collected from randomly selected 218 agro-pastoral households between February and April 2023. The study revealed low awareness and use of improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households. The findings suggested the positive impact of education level, membership of farmer groups and ownership of small ruminant on enhancing the probability of using improved livestock feed technologies. Households’ geographical area was one of the determinant factors in using improved livestock feed technologies. The use of improved livestock feed technologies was also influenced by family size. The study provides guidance to inform strategies by the decision-makers to enhance the utilization of improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households in the West African Sahel. Suggested strategies may in turn alleviate the current problem of low productivity of livestock, contribute to improving household food security and nutrition among agro-pastoral communities.

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Funding

This work was funded in whole by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Resilience and Food Security under Agreement # AID-OAA-L-15-00003 as part of Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems. Additional funding was received from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation OPP#1175487. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed here are those of the authors alone.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), PO Box 12404, Niamey, Niger

    Clarisse Umutoni

  2. Wageningen Livestock Research, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Wageningen, 6708 PB, The Netherlands

    Augustine Ayantunde

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  1. Clarisse Umutoni
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  2. Augustine Ayantunde
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study’s conception, design and write-up of the manuscript. Specifically, C. Umutoni conceived and designed the study, conducted data collection and analysis, and wrote the first drfat of the manuscript. A. Ayantunde contributed in study design and reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors reviewed, edited, and approved the final document.

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Correspondence to Clarisse Umutoni.

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Umutoni, C., Ayantunde, A. Awareness and use of improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households in the West African Sahel. Trop Anim Health Prod 56, 194 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-024-04052-5

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