Assessing Feed Gaps on Smallholder Livestock Farms in Limpopo: Production System and Coping Strategies

Assessing Feed Gaps on Smallholder Livestock Farms in Limpopo: Production System and Coping Strategies

Smallholder farms in southern Africa are predominantly mixed crop-livestock systems and often characterized by low productivity. Therefore, providing sufficient forage becomes a challenge that results first in feed gaps, i.e. the difference between the demand for and supply of forage, and secondly, in nutrient mining of the soil due to the overuse of the resources. However, the availability of forage follows potentially seasonal patterns. Hence, a key entry point for any intervention strategies for improvement is an assessment of forage quantity and quality throughout the year. Against this background, we investigated six locations, smallholders’ cattle production systems and their adaptation options in periods of feed deficit across three distinct agro-ecological zones in the Limpopo province (South Africa). We interviewed 90 farmers from May to September 2019 and found that farmers struggle in winter-spring (June – September) to access feed resources for their livestock. Most farmers mentioned that feed deficit in that period is a regular phenomenon. Mixed crop-livestock farmers stated that they rely on on-farm resources (crop residues) while sole livestock farmers stated that reducing herd size is a top adaptation option. Farmers also indicated that feed availability in required quantity and quality is the biggest constraint to sustaining livestock production throughout the year. This study demonstrates a sound assessment of the temporal pattern of feed gaps in Limpopo province and potential farmer avenues for their mitigation.