‘Poor feeding of goats causes malnutrition’
January 31, 2014 by Sodiq Oyeleke
A
research by a Professor of Animal Science, Simisola Odeyinka, has shown
that poor feeding of ruminant animals, especially sheep and goats, is a
major cause of malnutrition among Nigerians.
The professor presented the outcome of
the research during an inaugural lecture in her honour, organised by the
management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, on
Tuesday.
While speaking on the topic, ‘That they
may eat all year round: The intellectual odyssey of a ruminant
nutritionist’, Odeyinka said Nigeria and other African countries were
suffering from poor nutrition because of their ignorance about benefits
derivable from ruminant animals.
She said goat and human milk had
relatively high nutritional value, compared to cow milk, hence they
should be fed well to derive maximum benefits.
The profesor said, “Agriculture in
Nigeria evokes the images of a gigantic paradox. The nation has 82
million hectares of arable land and 18 million hectares of permanent
pastures, yet it is one of the largest food importers globally while
over 60 percent of its population suffer from malnutrition.
“This paradoxically needs to be turned
into prosperity. Our agriculture has tremendous potential, but then, no
one can eat ‘potential’. Potential must be transformed into adequate
food supply to our growing population. And small ruminant production
system provides excellent platform for such all-important
transformation. However, small ruminants must be well fed all year round
to enable them reach their full genetic potential.
“To this end, our ruminant livestock
should be given access to drought-resistant browse plants, such as
Gliricidia, Leucaena, Cajanus and Moringa, as my research findings have
indicated. I recommend that all tiers of the Nigerian government should
support research on Moringa, for better livelihood for our people. Also,
agro-allied industries are encouraged to invest in production and
processing of these legumes, including their seeds, into livestock
feedstuff.”
http://www.punchng.com/news/poor-feeding-of-goats-causes-malnutrition/
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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