Muluken Zeleke*, Jane Wamatu, Temesgen Tesfaye, Tegbaru G/silase and Tessema Tesfaye
The productivity of the livestock sector has hindered the shortage of feed in quality and quantity. The nonavailability of quality seeds in the local market for farmers is one of the significant constraints in feed production, resulting in low productivity. For the broader dissemination of high-yielding forages, there is a need to strengthen the local seed production and supply system by offering youths opportunities to produce forages that fulfill the gap. To help youths raise their incomes, youth-based seed production (YBSP) was implemented to identify and enable them to be self-sufficient in quality seeds. These activities were carried out in 2020 in three districts of Southwestern Ethiopia. The complete randomized lock trials were carried out on 30 youths. Growth, biomass, seed yield, and nutritional quality measurements were recorded. Lablab produces adequate dry (4.98-5.49 t/ha) forage, and the seed yield ranges from 2923 to 3001-kilo grams per hectare. The nutritional quality of the lablab is 19.04-20.17 %, which can fulfill the protein demands of small ruminants. After implementing the youth group forage seed production program, the seed and economic status of youths and farmers increased significantly, with an increased period of seed self-sufficiency and income from the same unit of land. It also helped to get feedback about promising varieties and popularize them before release.
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