MORE FOOD FROM THE EXISTING LAND RESOURCES

Dr. Muhammad Sarwar

What is the Issue?• Land resources limited or squeezing due to

• More urbanization

• Industrialization

• More mouths to feed due to population increase

• Competition among nations to produce low cost food is increasing

• Nations not self-sufficient in food are not bio-secure

• Food insufficiency can lead to slavery

Need to

• Produce more food

• At low cost

Focus of presentation

• Animal food

• Meat and milk

How to produce more food at low cost?

1. Increase animal number?

But land can’t support more heads!

2. Increase animal productivity? Yes

Produce more from the same land resources

How to increase animal productivity?

This can be done through:

1. Improved genetics of farm animals

2. Better nutrition

Improving Genetics:

Through

• Selection for higher milk and meat within local breeds (Long term planning)

• Importing exotic germ plasm (short term)

Result

More milk and meat through the same land resources

Improved nutrition of farm animals

Why?

Fulfill the nutrient requirements of the animals to produce to their maximum potential

10.91

90.3

6.75

69

38

26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

C P TDN

Mill

ion

Met

ric T

on

Requirement (MT)

Availability (MT)

%Deficiency

Livestock are getting: 62% of Required CP74% of Required TDN

Existing situationNutrient Availability and Requirement for Livestock in Pakistan

Major Feedstuffs for livestock feeding in Pakistan

51%38%

3%

2% 6%

Fodder/Crop Residue Range Lands/GrazingPost Harvest Grazing Oil SeedsCereal By-products

How to increase nutrient supply to the animals from the existing land resources?

Harvest more nutrient per acre of land for livestock

How to harvest more nutrients from the same land?

More biomass from the same land through:

• Better seed

• Proper use of fertilizers

• Pest control

Nutrient availability changes with age of plant

Harvest the maximum

Conserve Fodder through Hay

Or through Silage

Conserving fodder as hay or silage

• increases land availability for growing more fodder

Wheat straw?

• Low nutrient availability

• Lost during wheat harvesting with Combine Harvester

Nutrient availability from wheat straw can be increased through chemical treatment with Urea

It increase protein and energy availability from the same amount of straw

With Combine Harvester wheat straw is lost

Here is the solution

It is cost effective

Use of cheaper agro-industrial by products

Examples:

Corn steep liquor

Enzose

Recycling of dung or rumen contents as inoculants in animal feed

Judicious use of available nutrients

• Feeding ad libitum is cost effective than feeding at maintenance level

• Results in more daily growth rate

• More meat

• Animals mature early

• Increased productive life

• So feeding cost reduced and feed used more efficiently

• Because more spent on production than on maintenance

Feeding during critical periods

• Feeding during growing period results in more meat

• Feeding before parturition results in more milk post partum

• Feeding just after parturition

MORE FOOD

MEANS

MORE BIO-SECURITY

THANKS