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Abstract
In many sub-Saharan African countries, the demand, supply and quality of farm animal feed are not proportional. As a result, searching for low-cost, cheaply available feed biomass has been considered an alternative measure and solution. The purpose of the study was to assess feed resources, the potential of fruit and vegetable by-products as alternative feeds and practical utilization of livestock in three selected districts of Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Data were collected through household interviews, focus group discussions and available biomass estimation carried out on fruit and vegetable-based farms using weighing balances. The results indicated that livestock holding status, land size and cultivated crops varied (p<0.05) across three agro-ecological zones. From a hectare of land with varying yields of dry matter (DM), 24.14MT of banana by-products, 1.76MT of mango by-products and 0.72MT of avocado by-products were obtained. A hectare of vegetable and tuber croplands produced 22.7MT of sweet potato by-products, 1.41MT of cassava by-products, 1.12MT of potato peels and 0.55MT of cabbage leaf fresh biomass. As a result, diverse agro-ecologies and seasons can make use of these biomasses as a supplement and replacement for conventional feed sources.
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