Enteric methane emissions from zebu cattle are influenced by seasonal variations in rangeland fodder quality and intake.

Rangeland fodder resources used to feed ruminants in the Sahel decline considerably in both quantity and quality from the wet to dry seasons. While it is widely assumed worldwide that this seasonality of fodder supply impacts intake levels and therefore enteric methane (eCH) emissions, there are very few references based on in vivo measurements of eCH in this region. The purpose of this study was to test the assumption that the seasonality of fodder supply impacts intake levels and consequently eCH in ruminants.

Supplementing zebu cattle with crop co-products helps to reduce enteric emissions in West Africa.

In Africa, a wide variety of diets (forage + crop co-products or other agricultural by-products) is being used by livestock farmers in different production systems to adapt to climate change. This study aimed to assess the performance of various local feeding strategies on Sudanese Fulani zebu cattle. Two experiments were carried out on 10 steers aged initially 33 months (142 kg body weight - BW).