Sustainable animal feeding - mm Archives

Boost Agricultural Sustainability through Crop-Livestock Integration: Insights from Điện Biên District

Crop-Livestock Integration (CLI) through biomass exchanges between crop and livestock enhances the sustainability of mixed farming systems, improving production, autonomy, efficiency and recycling. By analysing the diversity and recent changes in mixed farms and modelling potential CLI pratices changes, we assess the effect of these changes on farm performance and sustainability in Ðiện Biên District, Northwest Vietnam. CLI enables farms to improve animal feed and environmental performances if pressure on land resources remains minimal. High pressure on pasture land may force pasture-dependent farms to cease animal production despite support for forage development. Agroforestry (fruits and forage) could enhance animal feed and farm performance with high-value products, though still its innovative stage. The results show that local authorities must continue to develop innovative models for the production and conservation of forage and crop residues, while also devising additional strategies to support resource-constrained farms. It suggests exploring new forage production systems and biomass management between farms with a broader district-level vision.

A Technical Guide : Rice-Duck System, reducing chemicals and increasing income

The technical leaflet introduces the rice–duck system, an agroecological practice that reduces chemical use by allowing ducks to control pests and weeds while naturally fertilizing the soil. It outlines the system’s economic benefits, showing how farmers can increase rice yields and earn additional income from duck sales. The leaflet also provides practical guidance, timelines, and cost estimates to support successful adoption.

Recipe for Carnivorous / Herbivorous Fish Feed

As we are well aware, the cost of fish feed in current fish farming is relatively high, while the selling price of fish is often low. This has led many farmers to produce their own fish feed using locally available raw materials. Not only is this process not complicated, but it also ensures high nutritional quality.

Semi-intensive Local Pig Raising System

This technical leaflet provides practical guidelines and practices for establishing and managing a semi-intensive local pig raising system. It covers aspects such as housing setup, paddock fencing, feeding strategies, and crop production to support pig nutrition. Emphasizing agroecological principles, this guide promotes environmentally friendly practices that maintain soil health, biodiversity, and resource efficiency. Designed for small to medium-scale farmers, the leaflet aims to optimize animal welfare, improve feed efficiency, and enhance farm productivity through cost effective and well-planned methods.

Semi-intensive Local Pig Raising System

Making silage from green raw fodder material

Making silage is a method of preserving and storing green feed through anaerobic fermentation (without oxygen). Silage can be made from a diversity of forage materials and stored for periods when feeds are less available or farmers busy with other activities.