Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A Professor of ruminant nutrition has called for an increase in investments in the rearing of ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep, given their high potential to address low protein intake, enhancing food security and improving livelihoods of people.
Professor Dupe Olufunke Ogunbosoye, who gave the charge during her inaugural lecture held at the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, on Wednesday, highlighted the need for governments at all levels to prioritise research on ruminant nutrition and sustainable farming practices to boost the efficiency in the rearing of the herbivores.
The inaugural lecturer described ruminants as efficient converters of unusable plant materials into high-quality protein for human consumption, stressing that it was crucial for society to understand the critical role ruminants play in human nutrition.
Speaking on sustainable feed conservation for optimal ruminant production, Professor Ogunbosoye noted that with increasing global population and decreasing per capita arable land, traditional forage production methods cannot meet the demand for livestock feeding, thus affecting sustainable production of livestock products.
“Supply high-quality forages will become increasingly crucial as livestock are raised for high value meat products and the farmers strive to meet the year-round demand for ruminant products.
“These economic incentives, along with available and emerging technologies, will drive the increased use of stored/conserved forages, such as hay and silage, in many tropical countries and at the same time improve the farmers livelihood”, she said.
She therefore charged governments at all levels to provide financial and technical support to livestock farmers to promote the sector and encourage sustainable ruminant farming methods.
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