TITLE:
Contribution to Knowledge of Food Formulation during Lean Periods in the Provinces of Wadi-Fira and West-Ennedi (Chad)
AUTHORS:
Ahmat Mahamat Assafi, Soudy Imar Djibrine, Ngomdé Djasnabaye, Nakour Nargaye, Baroua Abouna
KEYWORDS:
Grazing, Food Formulation, Lean Period, Natural Resources
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.13 No.8,
August
8,
2022
ABSTRACT: The effects of climate change have had a major impact on forage
availability in the Sahel and Saharan regions of Chad in recent years. This has
led to the migration of farmers in search of long-distance grazing, thus
impacting the potential of the animals to produce good quality milk and meat.
It is with this in mind that this study was conducted on the knowledge of
feeding practices of animals in the provinces of Wadi-Fira and West-Ennedi
(Chad) during the lean period. More specifically, it is a question of
collecting some information on the plants consumed by the animals and the way
in which the breeders formulate the food ration of their herds in times of
deficit. It emerges from this investigation that the herds of animals in the
province of Wadi-Fira faced with forage deficit and adapted by consuming the leaves, fruits and seeds of certain tropical plants
such as Capparis decidua, Ziziphus mauritiana, Balanites aegyptiaca, Acacia tortilis, Boscia senegalensis, Salvadora
percica and Tribulis terristris to compensate for food shortages. This same observation was made in the
province of West-Ennedi, since this area is desert with annual precipitation of
150 mm. Natural pasture is only available around water points (ouadis and oasis) in a small area with a high number of herds. Thus, the herds also face a
drastic lack of grazing during the deficit periods. However, they adapt by consuming
the leaves, fruits and seeds of plants such as Bauhinia sp., Boscia senegalenis, Acacia tortilis, Tribulis terristris, Boscia
angustifolia, Bicoma tomentosa, Blepharis linarifolia and Aristida funiculata during lean periods
to meet their food requirements. The formulation of the feed ration for animals
differs from one area to another. It is mainly based on residues from cereals
such as millet (Panicum miliaceum)
and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor).