Barley Straw Use for Animal Feed and Soil Mulch in Ethiopian Highlands Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems

Mulugeta Tilahun Keno,Geert Paul Jules Janssens,Solomon Demeke,Taye Tolemariam,Ashraf Alkhtib,Jane Wamatu

doi:10.3390/su13115879

Mulugeta Tilahun Keno, Geert Paul Jules Janssens + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115879

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Abstract

Barley straw serves as livestock feed and mulch for soil and water conservation in the mixed barley-livestock systems of the Ethiopian highlands. High demand for barley straw biomass in the system creates competition between the two uses. This study aimed to identify the determinants of the utilization of barley straw for mulch and feed. Data on the production and use of barley straw were collected from 236 households using a structured questionnaire. Use of the straw for the purposes of soil mulch at three levels, 0–15% (marginal mulching), 15–35% (optimal mulching), 35–100% (over-mulching), was analyzed using a multinomial logit model. The optimal proportion of barley straw used as soil mulch was positively affected by the educational level of the household head, family size, distance between cropping land and homestead, number of equines in the household and amount of straw production. Female-headed households were more likely to mulch less than the optimal amount of barley straw. In general, the more the farmer’s exposure to formal extension, the less the proportion of barley straw used for soil mulching. This study provides guidance for the proportional utilization of barley straw. This will contribute to the design of appropriate biomass utilization strategies in barley-livestock farming systems.

Highlights

Mixed crop-livestock farming systems are the backbone of farmers’ livelihoods in developing countries [1,2]
50% reported leaving some of their straw on the plots as soil mulch while only 14.4% of the households reported that they allocated more than 30% of the barley straw biomass for soil mulching
77% of the households used less than 15% of their barley straw for soil mulching, 11.5% of the households mulched 15–45% of the barley straw while 11.5% of them mulched more than 45% of the barley straw

Summary

Introduction

Mixed crop-livestock farming systems are the backbone of farmers’ livelihoods in developing countries [1,2]. In these systems, the use of crop residues is important for various uses that include soil mulching and livestock feeding [3]. In cereal-based croplivestock systems, residues include stover and straw from cereal crops after harvesting the grain. The retention of such residual biomass in crop fields has the potential to improve soil quality by reducing surface runoff, enhancing soil moisture, improving soil structure and potentially suppressing weed growth [4]. Mixed crop-livestock farming systems typically use crop residues for livestock feed. In the Ethiopian highlands where crop-livestock systems are prevalent, the contribution of straw to the total dry matter fed to livestock ranges from 10%

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