Searching Alternative Uses of Grassland for Sustainable Development: Evidence from the Eastern Black Sea Region, Turkey

Year 2021, Volume: 8 Issue: 3, 301 - 310, 31.10.2021

İsmet Boz , Adem Kamalak , Osman Kılıç , Çağrı Özgür Özkan

https://doi.org/10.19159/tutad.987841

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Sustainably utilizing natural resources would provide sustainable livelihoods for agrarian communities in developing countries. Using alternative and more efficient methods to utilize natural resources will probably serve to achieve this goal. Ensiling grass in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey is assumed to provide an alternative roughage fodder source for the animal husbandry sector which has faced dramatic declines for the last decades. This study investigated the possibilities of preparing and adopting grass silage in the region where drying grass to provide roughages for winter feeding is troublesome due to the heavily rainy climate during the harvest season. The study was organized in two broad sections; (1) socioeconomic survey and (2) ensiling process for roughage fodder provision. In the first section, socioeconomic characteristics of livestock farmers, farming practices applied, problems encountered by farmers, and awareness level about grass silage in the region were investigated. In the second section, a silage preparation process was carried out by (1) harvesting and ensiling of grass, (2) determination of the composition of grass silages, and (3) determination of aerobic stabilities of silages. Results showed that livestock farmers in the region have small numbers of animals and operate conventionally, farmers tend to be older, hold an elementary school degree, and are mostly not open to innovations. They face serious problems with drying their grass to provide roughage fodders and lack information about this technology. The ensiling process revealed favorable results that grass produced in the region can be successfully turned into silage. The quality can further be increased with some additives. The study concludes that to sustainably utilize the regional grasslands, awareness-raising campaigns and extension programs for ensiling technology should be organized.

Keywords

Sustainable development, grass silage, ensiling, adoption of innovations, technology adoption, regional development

References

• Anonymous, 1987. Bewertung von Grünfutter, Silage und Heu. – Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft (DLG), DLG Merkblatt 224, Frankfurt.
• Anonymous, 1990. Official methods of analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. (15th Edn.), Vol. 1, Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Inc, Arlington, Virginia.
• Anonymous, 2012. Additives and Products or Substances Used in Animal Feed. (https://www.efsa.europa.eu/ en/science/scientific-committee-and-panels/feedap), (Accessed: 18.01.2020).
• Anonymous, 2015. Ensiling. (http://alivaizgaripoglu. com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/silaj_yapimi.ppt), (Accessed: 01.02.2021). (In Turkish).
• Anonymous, 2021. Migration Statistics. Turkish Statistical Institution, (http://www.tuik.gov.tr/Pre TabloArama.do), (Accessed: 18.06.2021).
• Arslan, C., Essiz, D., 2009. Establishing the optimum cutting date and additives for pasture grass silage and its mycotoxin levels. Kafkas Üniversitesi Veterinerlik Fakültesi Dergisi, 5(4): 531-538.
• Bilal, M.Q., 2009. Effect of molasses and corn as silage additive on the characteristics of mott dwarf elephant grass silage at different fermentation periods. Pakistan Veterinary Journal, 29(1): 19-23.
• Bingöl, N.T., Bolat, D., Karslı, M.A., Akça, İ., 2009. Effects of molasses addition into barley-sainfoin mixture at varying levels on silage quality and digestibility. Atatürk University Journal of Veterinary Sciences, 4(1): 23-30. (In Turkish).
• Boz, I., Akbay, C., Bas, S., Budak., D.B., 2011. Adoption of innovations and best management practices among dairy farmers in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 10(2): 251-261.
• Boz, İ., Kılıç, O., 2020. Reasons for grass silage not being adopted by livestock farmers in the Eastern Black Sea Region. Anadolu Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 35(3): 496-504. (In Turkish).
• Boz, I., Yildirim, Ç., Turkten, H., 2016. Adoption and diffusion of grass silage in Trabzon province of Turkey. Advances in Ecological and Environmental Research, 1(1): 1-13.
• Budak, D.B., Boz, I., Akbay, C., Baş, S., 2012. Factors influencing selected innovations and best management practices among sheep farmers in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 11(10): 1713-1718.
• Carvalho, J.N., Pires, A.J.V., Veloso, C.M., Silva, F.F., Reis, R.A., Carvalho, G.G.P., 2010. Apparent digestibility of diet with elephant grass ensiled with different additives. Arquivo Brasileiro De Medicana Veterinaira De Zootecnia, 62(4): 889-897.
• Castro, G.H.F., Rodrigez, N.M., Goncalves, L.C., Mauricio, R.M., 2010. Productivity, agronomical and nutritional traits of Tanzania grass cut on five different ages. Arquivo Brasileiro De Medicana Veterinaira Zootecnia, 62(3): 654-666.
• Eliş, S., Özyazıcı, M.A., 2019. Determination of the silage quality characteristics of different switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) cultivars. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, 17(6): 15755-15773.
• Garipoglu, A.V., 2014. Alternative Roughage Sources in Dairy Cattle Nutrition. (http://docplayer.biz.tr/ 9931995-Sut-sigirlarinin-beslenmesinde-alternatif-kaba-yem-kaynaklari.html), (Accessed: 12.02.2021). (In Turkish).
• Genever, L., 2013. Making Grass Silage for Beter Returns. Beef And Sheep, BRB Manuals, (www.eblex.org.uk/.../brp_b_brpmanual5), (Accessed: 02.03.2021).
• Güven, I., 2011. The use of honey locust pods as a silage additive for grass. PhD. thesis, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Institute for Graduate Studies in Science and Technology, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey. (In Turkish).
• Kung, L.,Treacher, R.J., Nauman, G.A., Smagala, A.M., Endres, K.M., Cohen, M.A., 2000. The effect of treating forages with fibrolytic enzymes on its nutritive value and lactation performance of dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 83(1): 115-122.
• Kutlu, H.R., 2013. All Aspects of Silage Making and Silage Feeding. Çukurova University, Agriculture Faculty, Adana, Turkey. (In Turkish).
• Queiroz, O.C.M., Ogunade, I.M., Weinberg, Z., Adesogan, A.T., 2018. Silage review: Foodborne pathogens in silage and their mitigation by silage additives. Journal of Dairy Science, 101(5): 4132-4142.
• Rego, M.M.T., Neiva, J.N.M., Do Rego, A.C., Candido, M.J.D., Clementino, R., Restle, J., 2010. Nutritional evaluation of elephant-grass silage with by product of annatto. Revista Brasileira De Zootecnia-Brazillian journal of Animal Science, 39(10): 2281-2287.
• Reis, M., Gümüş, S., Ulu, F., 2004. A research on the yield potential and plant population similarity of the forest rangelands of Trabzon-Karadere Rainfall Basin. Eastern Blacksea Forestry Research Instıtute Journal of Research, 1: 60-74. (In Turkish).
• Rogers, E., 2010. Diffusion of Innovations. The Free Press, A Division of Simon & Schuster Inc. 1230, Avenue of the Americas New York.
• Vranic, M., Knezevic, M., Perculia, G., Bosnjak, K., Leto, J., 2009. Intake, digestibility in vivo, N utilization and in sacco dry matter degradability of grass silage harvested at three stage of maturity. Asian-Australasian journal of Animal Sciences, 22(2): 225-231.
• Weinberg, Z.G., Ashbell, G., Hen, Y., Filya, I., 2002. The effects of temperature on the aerobic stability of wheat and corn silages. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, 28: 261-263.
• Yamane, T., 2001. Elementary Sampling Theory. Translators: A. Esin, C. Aydın, M.A. Bakır, E. Gurbuzsel, Literatur Yayıncılık, Istanbul, Turkey. (In Turkish).
• Yavuz, T., Sürmen, M., Töngel, M.Ö., Çankaya, N., 2008. A research on grassland utilization habits in Black Sea Region. Reserach Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 1(1): 43-47. (In Turkish).
• Yıldırım, Ç., Türkten, H., Boz, İ., 2016. Adoption characteristics of livestock farmers and their attitudes to silage making from grass in interior coastal areas of Rize province, Turkey. Custos E @gronegocio Online, 12(2): 138-155.
• Yıldırım, Ç., Türkten, H., Boz, İ., 2017. Adoption characteristics of livestock farmers to making grass silage in Ordu province of Turkey. Custos E @gronegocio Online, 13(3): 172-181.