Indigenous Multipurpose Fodder Trees of Wolayta Zone, Ethiopia

Ethiopia is believed to have the largest livestock population in Africa. This livestock sector has been contributing a considerable portion to national economy and 26% for agricultural GDP production and still promising to rally round the economic development of the country. The major limiting factor among others for livestock production is nutrition both in terms of quantity and quality. To curb the problem of feed availability, use of indigenous multipurpose fodder trees would be regarded as good option. Indigenous multipurpose fodder trees is a potentially expensive locally produced protein supplement for ruminants, particularly during the critical periods of the year when the quantity and quality of herbage is limited. Multipurpose fodder plant have high crude protein content, ranging from 10 to more than 25% on dry matter basis and may be considered as a more reliable feed resource of high quality to develop sustainable feeding systems and in increasing livestock productivity.