Fodder and Forage Cultivation Training

In 2007, VIVA implemented the Animal Health Management Program which, in essence, was a research project, evaluating the nutritional status of livestock in Nepal. One of the major findings was the huge deficit in green forage and fodder (grasses and legumes) during the dry season. This was holding back livestock from meeting their full potential of milk and meat production.

CLPSP has evolved from these observations and we have just completed Forage and Fodder Cultivation Training in all the groups. The participants learned about improved grasses and how they are grown. A practical demonstration was used, involving all the members working together to farm these grasses on unused plots of land.

And that's the key! Grasses grow with relative ease in the temperate dry season but shouldn't compete with food crops like wheat and maize. They grow on steep slopes and far away fields that would otherwise lay barren. Now the groups will optimize their land to the full and this will have a big impact on the animals dry matter and crude protein intake. The farmers will also reap the rewards in terms of higher milk and meat yields. All we have to do is wait for the grass to grow!