The farmers of Zambia once considered the velvet bean (Mucuna purensis) poisonous. Now, farmers have learned that in fact, this grain legume is highly nutritious and, as a feed supplement, can increase livestock production, thanks to a study of locally available feed resources conducted by the university of Zambia in collaboration with the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. Livestock rearing is one of the leading farming activities practiced by rural communities in Zambia. Traditionally, these farmers have reared indigenous animals at a subsistence level for their own household consumption. However, in recent years, the Zambian government has encouraged farmers to improve animal productivity in order to create employment and generate income. Discovering the potential of the velvet bean is helping to make the government’s vision a reality.
Traditionally, Zambian farmers have kept indigenous animals, leaving them to forage for feed and water on their own. However, what is locally available for grazing does not have all the nutrients the animals need, making it essential to evaluate the nutritional value of the feed resources the pasture areas have to offer, looking for those with potential to provide energy or protein supplementation for milking animals. The velvet bean enters the picture as a supplemental feed identified through a University of Zambia project in partnership with the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.
While Zambian farmers measure the productivity of their animals in terms of the amount of milk and meat and number of calves they produce, this is not the total picture of why they keep livestock. Animals provide many other services, such as manure and draught power, and can be a ready source of cash and other cultural needs. Thus, farmers do not necessarily make a priority of selling animals for slaughter, even under extreme drought conditions. Owning animals is a measure of wealth, so they are interested more in herd size, rather than how well each animal produces.
As for milk, it is mainly for family nutrition. Because of lack of marketing infrastructure, unless the farmers live close to an urban area, there is no formal market for milk and, therefore, they have no incentive to increase production. They also are not enthusiastic about any feeding schemes that will add more work to their lives, such as having to harvest, transport or process fodder. However, farmers are aware that well-fed, healthy animals produce more calves, and any measure that will enhance this trait is likely to prove a good selling point for any farmer.
