Farmers’ storage practices and nutritional quality of fodder from dual-purpose cowpea and sorghum crops

The study aim was to analyze the effect of storage practices for cultivated forages on their nutritional qualities. Post-harvest fodder storage practices for cowpea var. KVX 745-11p and sorghum var. Grinkan were observed at 44 farms. Samples of green fodder and fodder stored under different conditions after drying were analyzed in laboratory to determine chemical composition parameters using near infrared spectrometry. The results showed that the most common storage is exposure in sheds (34% of farmers). The sensory assessment of the forage showed that sheltered premises help to maintain a relatively very good (52%) to good (40%) quality of stored forage. In unsheltered premises, stored fodder is essentially of good (68%) to fair (26%) quality. The quality of fodder stored in unsheltered premises deteriorates with a significant reduction in crude protein content. This content varies significantly from 20% for green fodder to 16% in sheltered premises, then to 15% in unsheltered premises for cowpea, and for sorghum from 7.9% to 6.6% and then to 4.5%. West African livestock farmers need to adopt better storage practices for cultivated fodder and crop residues to preserve their nutritional value. Keywords: Fodder, Dual-purpose crop, Storage practices, Nutritional value, Sub-Saharan Afric