Successes and failures with animal nutrition practices and technologies in developing countries: A synthesis of an FAO e-conference

This paper summarises the major issues discussed by participants of a moderated e-conference hosted by the FAO Livestock Production Systems Branch of the Animal Production and Health Division from 01 September to 30 September 2010, entitled “Successes and failures with animal nutrition practices and technologies in developing countries”. A total of 239 e-mail messages were posted by 120 scientist participants from 45 countries. A total of 15 technologies/practices were considered in a sequence based on calls from the Moderator and receipt of messages. The technologies/practices considered were: urea–ammonia treatment of straw, stall-grazing of crop residues/self-selection, reducing particle size of crop residues, enzyme treatment or solid state fermentation of crop residues, food–feed crop systems, urea as a supplement, urea–molasses–multinutrient feed block, mineral supplementation, fertilisers and mycotoxins, pasture improvement and reclamation, silvopastoral and agroforestry systems, forage production, forage conservation, forage fractionation, non-conventional feeds, organic farming. The current status of applying different animal nutrition technologies/practices is presented together with an analysis of the reasons for success or failure. Many messages discussed why technologies to increase the nutritive value of straws for feeding ruminants, especially urea–ammonia treatment, failed to be adopted by farmers. The major reasons, also relevant to many of the other technologies discussed, were weakness of extension services in developing countries, failure of scientists to involve farmers when developing new technologies and failure to demonstrate convincing benefit:cost ratios. The conference makes a contribution to knowledge concerning feeding ruminants and lessons learned for the future.