ABSTRACT
This study aimed to compare digestive and metabolic characteristics in Sahelian (S) and Majorera (M) goat breeds. Six lactating females from each breed, with an average weight 27.0 ± 1.93 and 23.7 ± 1.27 kg, respectively, were used. Cowpea hay, variety 58/74, was offered as sole feed ingredient, at a rate of 2 kg of fresh matter per animal per day. The animals were placed in metabolic cages and a digestibility test was conducted according to an adaptation period of 15 days and a collection period of 7 days. The daily chemical components offered and refused and recovered faeces, urine and milk were measured in order to assess energy and nitrogen utilization. The M and S goats had similar levels of dry matter (DM) intake as well as nutrient digestibility. On a metabolic weight basis, dry matter intake, gross energy intake, metabolizable and energy intake, digestible energy and energy lost as methane production were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in M than in S goats. Urinary energy excretion was similar (p = 0.9) between breeds, while faecal energy output was higher in M than in S goats. The milk energy output from the M goats was higher than that the S goats (p < 0.05). However, metabolizable to net energy conversion efficiency (klm) was not affected by breed (p = 0.37), while N intake, milk N yield and faecal N losses, relative to metabolic weight, were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in M than in S goats. Similarly, the percentage of dietary N intake excreted in urine (UNIN) was higher in S than in M breeds. The breed factor had no effect on N retained, N digestibility, urinary N and N use efficiency. In conclusion, the M and S goats were similar in terms of energy and nitrogen use efficiency, despite higher daily milk production and DM consumption in the M goat. This suggests that the M breed is possibly more dependent on a dense nutrition diet than the S breed but requires less maintenance nitrogen.
ABSTRACT
Animal epizootics show widely destructive effect on livestock value chains in sub Saharan Africa, pushing many smallholders into poverty and discouraging investments. Hence, African swine fever (ASF) has been playing a deeply depressing role on swine value chain of Benin since its first occurrence in the country in 1997. Exchanges between actors are fundamental among stakeholders for the overall performance of a value chain and is key in the way these can respond to challenges, as epizootic threats. The present study describes how stakeholders of the swine value chain interact in the diffusion of innovative practices facing an outbreak of ASF. In seven districts, focus groups were first organized with stakeholders to identify changes and other reactions that ensued from a recent ASF outbreak in Benin. In a second step, individual semi-structured interviews were conducted, following a respondent-driven sampling, to collect the contact information needed for social network analysis. The influence of actors' characteristics on their degree centrality was tested through multiple linear regression model. Regulatory requirements and available incomes facilitated practice diffusion among groups of pork butchers, traders/brokers and input suppliers. Stockbreeders displayed passivity in the diffusion of practices whereas they should have the forefront role in addressing the challenge of ASF. Nevertheless, their significant interest in capacity reinforcement, associations, exchange visits and professionalization may lead them to increase their involvement in a joint control of the disease.
