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

Inadequate 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 differen...

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Main Authors: Paul, Birthe K., Muhimuzi-Lwaboshi, Fabrice, Bacigale, Samy B., Wimba, Benjamin M.M., Chiuri, Wanjiku L., Amzati, Gaston S., Maass, Brigitte L.
Format: Conjunto de datos
Language:Inglés
Published: International Center for Tropical Agriculture 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/80081
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author Paul, Birthe K.
Muhimuzi-Lwaboshi, Fabrice
Bacigale, Samy B.
Wimba, Benjamin M.M.
Chiuri, Wanjiku L.
Amzati, Gaston S.
Maass, Brigitte L.
author_browse Amzati, Gaston S.
Bacigale, Samy B.
Chiuri, Wanjiku L.
Maass, Brigitte L.
Muhimuzi-Lwaboshi, Fabrice
Paul, Birthe K.
Wimba, Benjamin M.M.
author_facet Paul, Birthe K.
Muhimuzi-Lwaboshi, Fabrice
Bacigale, Samy B.
Wimba, Benjamin M.M.
Chiuri, Wanjiku L.
Amzati, Gaston S.
Maass, Brigitte L.
author_sort Paul, Birthe K.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Inadequate 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.
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institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2017
publishDateRange 2017
publishDateSort 2017
publisher International Center for Tropical Agriculture
publisherStr International Center for Tropical Agriculture
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spelling CGSpace800812025-03-13T09:44:02Z Replication Data for: Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo Paul, Birthe K. Muhimuzi-Lwaboshi, Fabrice Bacigale, Samy B. Wimba, Benjamin M.M. Chiuri, Wanjiku L. Amzati, Gaston S. Maass, Brigitte L. mixed cropping cultivo mixto livestock ganado tropical forages forage pennisetum purpureum farming systems agrobiodiversity Inadequate 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. 2017-01-30 2017-03-06T16:30:31Z 2017-03-06T16:30:31Z Dataset https://hdl.handle.net/10568/80081 en Open Access International Center for Tropical Agriculture Paul, Birthe; Muhimuzi, Fabrice ; Bagicale, Samy; Wimba, Benjamin; Chiuri, Wanjiku; Amzati, Gaston; Maass, Brigitte, 2017, "Replication Data for: Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo", doi:10.7910/DVN/HBO4EC, Harvard Dataverse, V1, UNF:6:MQWEEkpr5MFPCayLsZ9RvQ==
spellingShingle mixed cropping
cultivo mixto
livestock
ganado
tropical forages
forage
pennisetum purpureum
farming systems
agrobiodiversity
Paul, Birthe K.
Muhimuzi-Lwaboshi, Fabrice
Bacigale, Samy B.
Wimba, Benjamin M.M.
Chiuri, Wanjiku L.
Amzati, Gaston S.
Maass, Brigitte L.
Replication Data for: Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo
title Replication Data for: Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo
title_full Replication Data for: Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo
title_fullStr Replication Data for: Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo
title_full_unstemmed Replication Data for: Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo
title_short Replication Data for: Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo
title_sort replication data for towards an assessment of on farm niches for improved forages in sud kivu dr congo
topic mixed cropping
cultivo mixto
livestock
ganado
tropical forages
forage
pennisetum purpureum
farming systems
agrobiodiversity
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/80081
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