Awareness and use of improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households in the West African Sahel

Abstract

Abstract Seasonal scarcity of quality feed continues to be a bottleneck for agro-pastoralists and is the most important limitation to livestock production in agro-pastoral systems in the West African Sahel. In this regard, diverse promising technologies to increase the production and availability of quality feed have been introduced. Despite the introduction of various feed technologies in the region, the adoption rate by smallholder farmers is very low. The objective of this study was to identify factors affecting the likelihood of using improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households in two regions of Niger. A logit model was employed using data collected from randomly selected 218 agro-pastoral households between February and April 2023. The study revealed low awareness and use of improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households. The findings suggested the positive impact of education level, membership of farmer groups and ownership of small ruminant on enhancing the probability of using improved livestock feed technologies. Households’ geographical area was one of the determinant factors in using improved livestock feed technologies. The use of improved livestock feed technologies was also influenced by family size.The study provides guidance to inform strategies by the decision-makers to enhance the utilization of improved livestock feed technologies among agro-pastoral households in the West African Sahel. Suggested strategies may in turn alleviate the current problem of low productivity of livestock, contribute to improving household food security and nutrition among agro-pastoral communities.