Publications

Manuals & Guidelines

Improving Animal Productivity by Supplementary Feeding of Multinutrient Blocks, Controlling Internal Parasites, and Enhancing Utilization of Alternate Feed Resources.

Summary

Livestock farming is important for provision of animal protein for human consumption, and as a source of income for many poor farmers in developing countries. With the increasing human population and economic growth of many Asian countries, the demand for livestock products will increase considerably in the coming years. However, livestock development in these countries is constrained by scarcity and seasonal fluctuation of quality and quantity of animal feeds. In many situations, infections by internal parasites also decrease livestock productivity. Availability of arable land is decreasing in Asia. For sustainable development of livestock sector it is essential to secure sufficient supply of balanced feeds from resources that do not compete with human food. Therefore, there is an urgent need to efficiently utilize locally available feeds such as tree and shrub leaves, agroindustrial by-products and other lesser-known and new plants adapted to harsh conditions and poor, marginal and degraded soils.

The regional TC project RAS/5/035 ‘Improving animal productivity and reproductive efficiency’ was initiated in 1999 to assist RCA Member States to improve animal productivity and reproductive efficiency. The Animal Nutrition component of this project focused on i) enhancing efficiency of utilization of feed resources which are locally available and do not compete with human food, ii) developing and feeding of urea molasses multinutrient blocks to supply nutrients deficient in crop residues and forages, and iii) using the urea-molasses blocks for the delivery of anthelmintic medication to control gastrointestinal nematode parasitism, and The present publication presents results, on these three aspects, obtained by the participating groups from the RCA Member States. This TECDOC will help promote efficient utilization of feed resources and enhance animal productivity to meet the challenges imposed by ‘Livestock Revolution’ taking place in developing countries. It will be a valuable reference for scientists, extension workers, students, and technicians in the fields of Animal Sciences and Sustainable Development, particularly those specializing in livestock nutrition.

Interested parties, including libraries of research institutions in developing countries, can request a free copy from aph-webcontact@iaea.org.