In order to identify the most promising browse species for sustaining goat production, the nutritional characteristics of leaves of trees and shrubs and their use in farmers' feeding strategies were assessed in sub-humid areas of Benin. Two hundred and forty (240) goat farmers were surveyed and their uses of different leaves of trees and shrubs for supplementing their goats documented in two vegetation zones, namely the Sudano-Guinean and Guineo-Congolese zones. Then, samples of 32 leaves were collected at the end of rainy season in October-November, just before the long dry season and analyzed for their chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, and tannin content. Principal component and cluster analyses were performed to identify homogenous groups of leaves on the basis of their nutritional characteristics. Free grazing on natural perennial grasses with supplementation with leaves of trees and shrubs was the main goat feeding practice during the dry season in both zones. Agro-processing by-products were used as feed supplements mainly in the Guineo-Congolese zone. Most of the leaves of trees and shrubs elicited by the surveyed goat farmers had a crude protein content higher than 15%, sufficient for their use as feed supplements. However, this potential could be limited by their high tannin content. One non-native (Gliricidia sepium) and five native shrub species (Ficus thonningii, Antiaris africana, Phyllanthus discoideus, Morinda lucida, Mallotus oppositifolius) were identified as the most promising for supplementing goats during dry season in both zones. Our study was useful in identifying some underutilized and neglected leaves of trees and shrubs that could be recommended to smallholder goat farmers in agroforestry systems for enhancing animal productivities in small-scale farms.
Keywords: Browse resources; Feed supplementation; Small ruminants; Smallholders.