Description

Abstract: A major constraint in determining the relationship between animal performance and the state of pastoral lands in East Africa has been the General lack of nutritional information for free-ranging animals. New technology has been developed that allows the feces of livestock to be scanned with a near infrared reflectance spectrophotometer (NIRS) to predict diet crude protein (CP) and digestible organic matter (DOM). When coupled with the NUTBAL decision support software, which considers diet quality, environmental conditions, forage availability, and feed/ metabolic modifiers to predict changes in body weight, this technology package offers resource managers a way to make changes that can improve the herd’s overall body condition and mitigate the effects of drought. Five NIRS laboratories were established in Ethiopia (2), Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda along with trained personnel within the ASARECA AARNET NARS working groups. Validation tests of the NIRS technology indicated that the NIRS system can predict diet CP and DOM within error of standard scientific methodology. The NIRS/NUTBAL system was validated in each of the four countries. Cattle performance of 15 herds representing five breeds and three physiological classes (steers, cows, heifers) was predicted within <3% of body weight, accounting for 93% of variation in the study, and predicting within 5.9 kg of body weight across the population of 105 head. A special solar drier was developed by Egerton University and KARI to ease logistical constraints in pastoral regions. An expanded sub- Saharan African calibration equation was developed for cattle, sheep, and goats based on two Ph.D. dissertations and is currently being combined with calibration sets from the USA, Argentina, Canada, and Australia to form a Global Calibration equation that can be transferred to NIRS labs around the world.