Book Description

This book is based on more than 1000 references to English and French articles produced in the region over many decades. A comprehensive review of the achievements in farming and research in both wet and dryland is given, related to the grasslands of: Eastern Africa, extending from Malawi to Eritrea, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan and eastern Zaire. Sown grasses, within the time-proven system of mixed-farming based on crop-grass rotations. Fodders, e.g. Elephant grass, dryland-Sorghum, lucerne, Leucaena, tropical legumes and hay.£/LIST£ The main objectives of the book are to illustrate the value of East African grasses and fodders for: Livestock: East Africa is the gene-centre of the world's most famous cultivated tropical grasses capable of achieving high animal performance, also without fertilizer. Soil fertility maintenance: local farmers pioneered the practice of grass fallows with Elephant grass to restore soil fertility. This was later extended to sown grasses to accelerate the restoration process. Crop yields are doubled following pasture. Environmental protection: priority in natural grassland is to prevent deterioration. In crop-pasture rotations grasses are effective in trapping rainfall and in reducing erosion by improved soil structure. Topics discussed include animal manure versus fertilizer; zero versus direct grazing; fodder crops (annual and perennial) versus grass conservation; seed production and plant breeding. The main species in cultivation are described in detail.