A Professor of Animal Nutrition says poor-quality livestock feed, especially during the dry season, is silently fueling climate change.
Prof. Terry Ansah, Professor of Animal Nutrition and Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Sciences at the University for Development Studies (UDS), has called on Ghana to take deliberate steps to improve animal feeding practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost livestock production.
He made this call in an interview with AgriGhana Online after delivering the 19th Professorial Inaugural Lecture of UDS in Tamale.
His lecture was titled “Feeding the Future: Transforming Sheep and Goat Farming in the Arid and Semi-Arid Zones through Innovative Feed Solutions.”
Prof. Ansah emphasized the link between poor feed quality and greenhouse gas emissions.
He explained that “when animals depend heavily on low-quality feed, especially during the dry season, they emit more greenhouse gases.”
“Improving feed quality,” he said, “will help suppress these emissions.”
Ruminant animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats have microbes in their rumen called methanogens. These microbes produce methane during the fermentation of feed, which is released into the atmosphere through belching. Scientific studies show that lower-quality feeds with reduced digestibility tend to produce more methane compared to higher-quality feeds.
According to the FAO’s report “Tackling Climate Change through Livestock,” improving feed quality and balancing nutrients can significantly reduce enteric and manure emissions, enhance animal productivity, and offer an effective pathway to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Ghana’s Fifth Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report reinforces this concern. It states that livestock remains a major source of methane emissions. In 2019 alone, livestock accounted for 82.3 percent of all agricultural methane (CH₄) emissions, with cattle identified as the largest contributors, followed by goats and sheep.
The report also reveals that between 1990 and 2019, there were no significant improvements in feed quality or waste management systems, contributing to a steady rise in emissions.
In view of these findings, Prof. Ansah advocates for a shift from over-reliance on natural pastures to the deliberate cultivation of quality forages.
He recommends forage varieties such as Elephant Grass, which provide higher crude protein content and total digestible nutrients. “These grasses can be interplanted with crops and harvested every three to four weeks,” he advised.
He noted that the nutritional value of natural pastures has declined rapidly due to factors such as urban expansion and land-use changes. This decline not only stunts animal growth but also increases greenhouse gas emissions due to inefficient digestion of poor-quality feed, leading to higher methane production.
To address this challenge, Prof. Ansah highlighted the importance of farmer training and capacity building in feed conservation techniques such as haymaking and silage production.
These methods, he noted, would enable farmers to store and balance feed nutrients throughout the year, ensuring that livestock receive quality feed even during lean seasons.
“Such efforts would not only boost animal productivity but also reduce the carbon footprint associated with livestock production in the country,” he added.
He further promoted intercropping strategies, suggesting that farmers plant grasses as border crops alongside their main crops.
“While waiting for your crops to mature, you can frequently harvest the grasses to feed your livestock and even sell the surplus to other livestock farmers,” he explained.
Prof. Ansah stressed that the livestock sector holds tremendous potential for Ghana’s economy, particularly in the arid and semi-arid zones.
“If your livestock is in good health, a farmer earns more money,” he said, urging greater attention to livestock feed systems to unlock this potential.
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