Coconception, installation et évaluation de banques fourragères arbustives pour l’alimentation des vaches laitières dans l’ouest du Burkina Faso

On dairy farms in Western Burkina Faso, milk production is limited by a fodder shortage in the dry season. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and potential of shrub fodder banks (SFB) to supplement the dry-season feed of dairy cows with fodder of good nutritional value. A work on the codesign, establishment and harvesting of SFB planted with Leucaena leucocephala and Morus alba was carried out in three dairy cattle farms in Western Burkina Faso. The three SFB were planted at high density, with 20,000 plants.ha-1, in July 2016. Growth was rapid during the first seven months (rainy season and early dry season). At planting day (pd) plus seven months, L. leucocephala measured 145 ± 11 cm and M. alba 143 ± 72 cm. Then, during the dry season growth slowed down. Soil characteristics, lack of rainfall and shallow planting beds explained the differences in growth observed between experimental sites. Termite attacks (SFB3) and fire (SFB1) affected the development of the SFB concerned without destroying them. The cumulative biomass production on SFB2 and SFB3 over the three harvest cuttings (pd+13, pd+15, and pd+17-18 months) was higher with L. leucocephala (8.2 ± 2.6 t dry matter. ha-1) than with M. alba (1.8 ± 2.3 t dry matter.ha-1). Establishing and operating 625 square meters of SFB cost 896,188 FCFA (about 1350 €). Solutions need to be found to make them financially more accessible to farmers.