Record Details

Alternative cropping and feeding options to enhance sustainability of mixed crop-livestock farms in Bangladesh

CGSpace

View Archive Info
 
 
Field Value
 
Title Alternative cropping and feeding options to enhance sustainability of mixed crop-livestock farms in Bangladesh
 
Creator Shahin Alam
Krupnik, Timothy J.
Shanjida Sharmin
Mohammad Ashiqul Islam
Groot, Jeroen C.J.
 
Subject ruminant feeding
bioeconomic models
mixed cropping
farms
livestock
 
Description We investigated alternative cropping and feeding options for large (>10 cows), medium (5–10 cows) and small (≤4 cows) mixed crop – livestock farm types, to enhance economic and environmental performance in Jhenaidha and Meherpur districts – locations with increasing dairy production – in south western Bangladesh. Following focus group discussions with farmers on constraints and opportunities, we collected baseline data from one representative farm from each farm size class per district (six in total) to parameterize the whole-farm model FarmDESIGN. The six modelled farms were subjected to Pareto-based multi-objective (differential evolution algorithm) optimization to generate alternative dairy farm and fodder configurations. The objectives were to maximize farm profit, soil organic matter balance, and feed self-reliance, in addition to minimizing feed costs and soil nitrogen losses as indicators of sustainability. The cropped areas of the six baseline farms ranged from 0.6 to 4.0 ha and milk production per cow was between 1,640 and 3,560 kg year−1. Feed self-reliance was low (17%–57%) and soil N losses were high (74–342 kg ha−1 year−1). Subsequent trade-off analysis showed that increasing profit and soil organic matter balance was associated with higher risks of N losses. However, we found opportunities to improve economic and environmental performance simultaneously. Feed self-reliance could be increased by intensifying cropping and substituting fallow periods with appropriate fodder crops. For the farm type with the largest opportunity space and room to manoeuvre, we identified four strategies. Three strategies could be economically and environmentally benign, showing different opportunities for farm development with locally available resources.
 
Date 2023
2023-12-14T14:57:55Z
2023-12-14T14:57:55Z
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Alam, S., Krupnik, T. J., Sharmin, S., Islam, M. A., & Groot, J. C. J. (2024). Alternative cropping and feeding options to enhance sustainability of mixed crop-livestock farms in Bangladesh. NJAS: Impact in Agricultural and Life Sciences, 96(1), 2290046. https://hdl.handle.net/10883/22809
2768-5241
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/135391
https://hdl.handle.net/10883/22809
https://doi.org/10.1080/27685241.2023.2290046
 
Language en
 
Rights CC-BY-4.0
Open Access
 
Format application/pdf
 
Publisher Taylor & Francis
 
Source NJAS: Impact in Agricultural and Life Sciences