Report Type: Agriculture

This study describes as part of Livestock Research Project “Developing Banmara (Eupatorium adenophorum or Chromolaena odorata) as a forage for goats kept by resource poor farmers in the Himalayan forest areas.  The study was carried out over a six month period of Nepali goat keeping practices in four communities, two in the Terai and two in the mid hills. In each community, 10 poor and 10 less poor households and their goats were studies.  The main aim of the study was to increase knowledge of the contribution of goats to the livelihoods of poor livestock keepers; to explore with the communities the potential for increased use of banmara, provided that a suitable treatment could be found to make it more palatable; to learn about the access and control of goats, their products and forage by men, women and children; assesses the goat feeding practices on wet and dry season and constraints imposed by seasonal forage shortage. Data were collected on income from different household activities, contribution of income from each activity to livelihoods objectives, goat productivity and health and goat feeding.

Banmara (Eupatorium adenophorum or Chromolaena odorata) is a wild plant species which grows abundantly in the forests of Nepal. It has no practical or commercial use and its unchecked growth is damaging the forest resources of Nepal. New ERA was commissioned by DFID to identify the toxic substance in the plant which prevents goats from eating it and to develop a simple method of treating the plant so that it can be used to feed goats.