Feeding standards and feeding systems

Abstract

Feeding standards are commonly understood to be developed in and for feeding systems of temperate countries. The application of these feeding standards is often challenged, particularly for the tropics, but the discussion about their relevance needs clear definitions and statements of objective to be fruitful. First of all, this paper defines and discusses the concepts of feeding standards in relation to the objective of their use. Secondly, it suggests that for development purposes the classification of temperate and tropical be replaced by high and low input systems. In the high input systems, it is mainly the feeds that are adapted to the animal; in the low input systems, it is often the animal that needs to be adapted to the feed. It is then argued that the relevance of feeding standards depends on: (a) the technical validity of the datasets, and (b) the socio-economic aspects of their application. So-called low animal production levels in ‘low input’ systems are not only caused by feed shortages in terms of quality and quantity, but also by socio-economic considerations, rather than by an ignorance of feeding standards on the part of the farmer. Scientists and policy makers often misinterpret farmers' production goals, leading to improper application of standards. The technical reliability of standards can still be increased but the desired precision depends on the purpose for which they are used. Prediction of accurate absolute values in variable conditions will be difficult for many years to come, but this need not delay the use of recent knowledge on standards in order to better understand systems and farmers' reasoning as well as to set research and extension priorities.