Community Fodder Banks: a guideline

Do you need a FoDDer Bank?

What is a Community FoDDer Bank?

How can a fodder bank be economically viable?

How to make a good kalar?

How to improve the quality of fodder?

Community Fodder Banks a guideline

This booklet contains a guideline on how to form community

fodder banks. The guideline is based on field experiment

conducted at village level in Kutch to attain fodder security

during drought years. This initiative is a part of the Drought

Proofing Programme being implemented in Kutch. Based on

the inputs received from the village committees, the guideline

is prepared keeping in mind the social, economic and technical

aspects of Community Fodder Bank.

Although the guideline is only a starting point to revamp the

traditional system of fodder storage at community level, it

encourages us to rethink our assumptions on fodder security

options during droughts.

by KuTCh nAv nirmAn ABhiyAnprice: rs.47/-

KutchNavNirmanAbhiyan - CFB booklet - outside - TITLE 4+1 > screen # 150lpi | sap green black | tarundeep - 9825024076 . may2005

Community Fodder Banks: a guidelinepublished by

Drought proofing cell, Kutch Nav Nirman AbhiyanDr. rajaram campus, Nr. St. Xavier’s english primary School, bhuj-Kutch 370001

Number of copies-1000published in 2005

Any part of this guideline can be copied, reprinted, photocopied, cyclostyled or translated but with the due consent of the publisher of this booklet.

acknowledgments

A word of gratitude to all those who have given their valuable inputs and suggestions to make these guidelines possible. We would like to pay our sincere gratitude to Ministry of Rural Development- Government of India, Department of Rural Development - Government of Gujarat and District Rural Develoment Agency - Kutch who encouraged us to undertake the Fodder bank program.

special thanks for support from

Sahjeevan who has supported this guideline, Krishi Vigyan Kendra for giving their input for fodder enhancement; Vivekanand Research & Training Institute for providing information of ratadia Village, and the village committees.

illustrations by radhaben Garva, Ujjhas Mahila Sangathan

designed by SolutionOne design, Ahmedabad.

printed by print Fast, Gandhigam.

the DroughT ProoFing ProgrAmme

Kutch nav nirman Abhiyan

KutchNavNirmanAbhiyan - CFB booklet - inside - TITLE 2+3 > screen# 150lpi | sap green | tarundeep - 9825024076 . may2005

Kutch in Gujarat is endowed with large tracts of arable land resources, which can support its human population as well as large animal population. This natural resource base has helped animal husbandry to grow as an important source of livelihood in the region. However, this is subjected to the vagaries of nature which as a phenomenon is part and parcel of Kutch. Drought repeats itself thrice in a cycle of five years.

In normal rainfall year the region produces sufficient quantity of surplus fodder. However, with no storage techniques in practice, the villagers confront shortage of fodder as a major concern during drought years. For the survival of their cattle, the cattle owners either have to migrate with their animals or leave them in Panjrapoles.


Drought Proofing Cell kutch nav nirman abhiyan

Not drought relief but drought proofing

community Fodder BanK is one of the steps towards making the village self reliant in terms of fodder during drought season. This system is based on the traditional knowledge and practices of the community and is easily adaptable and replicable. In normal monsoon years, villagers can store the surplus fodder in the fodder bank. This fodder can be accessed by the villagers during drought years as per mutually agreed rules and regulations which will ensure sustainability of fodder bank. This will enable the villagers to cope with droughts and feed their animals with quality fodder available at reasonable prices in the village itself.

KNNA-cfb-inside24pages-1col.indd1 1 6/4/2005 4:40:27 PM

Do you need a Fodder Bank?If the below is true for your village – then you need a fodder bank. • Cattle have to migrate in droughts or be sent to cattle camps. • There is little or no grazing land in your village. • There is no practice of community storage of fodder in your village.

What is a Community Fodder Bank? When a group of farmers/animal owners come together to jointly purchase

farm straw or grass in a good monsoon year, store it and then sell it to its members in a drought year such that they recover the original money to repeat the process again. This is a community fodder bank.

How can a fodder bank be economically viable? The viability of the fodder bank is based on the fact that in a good

monsoon year the price of fodder is half to one third the cost of fodder in a drought (in good years the cost is between Rs. 40.00 to Rs. 60.00 and it rises to Rs. 120.00 to Rs. 160.00 per mound (40 kg) in a drought). So fodder bought and stored in a good year can be sold at 30% higher costs to recover the expenditure of transport, stocking and weight loss in a bad year. This cost is still 50 to 60% cheaper than fodder in the market.


How much money do we need to set up a fodder bank? Village varnu in Rapar Taluka of Kutch has 114 cattle amongst

57 families. Most of the families do rain-fed farming. So after the monsoon and crop harvest in November-December (Kartak- Maghsar) they store the straw in their homes.

If the next year in June (Jaith) monsoon fails, they are able to keep their animals alive by feeding them from their stored fodder and the little grass in the Gauchar until December to February (Maghsar to Maha) of the drought year. But come January (Pous), their leaders start going to the Mamlatdar and TDO (Taluka Development Officer) to request them to send subsidized grass and open cattle camps.

The richer farmers/cattle owners start buying fodder for Rs. 80.00 to Rs. 120.00 per mound in the open market.

The other families prepare to take their cattle to places where grass is available.

The poorest start doing distress selling of their animals.

March to June (Fagan to Jaith) are the worst months for which a community fodder bank would have sustained their animals.


Ashadh - Shrawan - Bhadarvo - Aasojuly . auGust . septemBer . octoBer

Chronology of events explaining when and how fodder shortage takes place

Ashadh - Shrawan - Bhadarvo - Aasojuly . auGust . septemBer . octoBer

in a

good

monsoon

year

in a

bad

year

Ploughing after first rains Harvest fodder crop

During these months the cattle survive on the little grass that is available in the hills and goucher


Kartak - MagsharnovemBer . decemBer

Pousjanuary

Maha - Fagan - Chaitra - Baishakh - Jeth FeBruary . march .

april . may . june

Kartak - Magshar - Pous - MahanovemBer . decemBer . january . FeBruary

Fagan - Chaitra - Baishakh - Jethmarch . april . may . june

Fodder cutting Self-procurement Open grazing

They feed their cattle with self-stored fodderFodder shortage forces the cattle grazers to migrate from the villages or shifts the cattle to Panjrapole or have to depend upon government

cattle camps or outside support.

Chronology of events explaining when and how fodder shortage takes place


So how much money is needed for varnu to sustain their animals from March to June?114 cattle need 10kg of dry fodder daily for 4 months114 Cattle x 10 kg x 120 Days = 1,36,800 kg.1,36,800/40 kg = 3,420 mounds. (40 kg/mounds)

The cost of jowar straw in an adjoining village Momaymora in November-December (Kartak-Maghsar) of the good monsoon year after the harvest was Rs. 47 per mound.

Thus total cost of 3420 mounds at the rate of Rs. 47 per mound = Rs. 1,60,740.00

The transport cost for bringing the (jowar straw) from Momaymora will be Rs. 13 per mound. 50 trucks will be needed to transport 3,420 mounds of dry fodder (approximately 65-70 mounds in one truck).

Thus the transportation cost of 3,420 mounds at the rate of Rs 13 per mound = Rs. 44,460.00. (Cost of purchasing

the fodder includes the transportation cost).

• Labour cost to make Kalar Rs. 7,500.00• Labour cost for fencing and weighing Rs. 7,500.00• Insurance against Fodder costs Rs. 12.50 per 1000 Rupees


So the total cost of 3,420 Mounds of Jowar fodder is:

Particulars Amount

Fodder Cost 1,60,740.00

Transportation 44,460.00

sub total 2,05,200.00

Insurance costs* (205200/1000) x 12.50 2,572.00

Labour charges (for fencing, weighing and kalar formation) 15,000.00

Total cost of purchase 2,22,772.00

*cost of insurance is calculated on subtotal (cost of fodder

purchased and transportation cost.

Thus, approximate cost per mound is Rs. 65.00

Capital costs

cost of base platform 12,000.00

weighing machine 625.00

Total capital cost 12,625.00


If the cost of one mound is Rs 65 then its break up is,

Fodder cost Transportation cost Labour cost Insurance

The cost of

1 mound (40 kg)

is Rs. 65.15

= Rs. 47.00 + Rs. 13.00 + Rs. 4.40 + Rs. 0.75

As it is a capital cost and it will be incurred only one time. therefore for calculating

the selling price, these capital cost has not been taken into consideration.

However at least 10-15% of the fodder is wasted and the weight is lost.

So 10% of 3420 = 342 . Cost of 342 Mounds = 342 x Rs. 65 = Rs. 22,230

So total revolving fund required to sustain 114 cattle through 4 months of drought.

Rs. 2,22,772 + Rs. 22,230 = Rs. 2,45,002.00

fodder cost . 72%

transportation cost . 20%

labour cost . 7%

insurance . 1%


So the village committee of Varnu can sell the fodder at Rs. 2,45,002 / 3420=Rs. 71.50 per mound (approximately) and recover their revolving fund to repeat the process next year. To create an additional fund for village developmental activities, a profit of 10% or 15% can be charged over the selling price. This amount can be used to increase the size of the fodder bank.

Therefore suggested selling price per mound is

purchasing price of the fodder (including transportation costs) rs 60.00

labour and insurance charge rs 5.00

assumed weight loss (10%) rs 6.50

selling price without profit rs 71.50

suggested selling price rs 82.25 with approximately 15% profit

Difference between suggested selling price and purchasing price is Rs 22 per mound. It means that, in a drought year, villagers have to pay only 37% more amount in comparison to prices of fodder in the month of November.

During acute drought, villagers of varnu had to pay Rs 160/mound to purchase jowar straw from the open market. However, because varnu has a community fodder bank, the villagers need to pay only Rs 82/mound of jowar straw to feed their cattle during drought. Thus, villagers who are members of community fodder banks, save around 50% on the market price of fodder prevailing during drought.


Who will manage the community fodder bank (CFB)?The cFB will not be managed by the government or by any nGo but by the members of the cFB itself. To do this, a committee has to be formed. The Panchayat will form the committee through the following:

Call a Gram Sabha and explain the concept of cFB.

Outcome: resolution by Gram Sabha to make a cfb

Make a cFB committee of 8-12 people. The entire committee must have people who will be members of the cFB. Care should be taken that atleast 50% are women and at least 1 member is from the Panchayat.

Outcome: resolution by Gram Sabha for forming cfb Committee

The CFB committee to meet to formulate membership fees and other rules for running the cFB. The Panchayat to call another Gram Sabha in which the cFB will present the membership rules.

Outcome: villagers register their names and the number of cattle.


In varnu the CFB Committee made the

following rules.

• Membership fee will be rs.100 per member.

• contribution as 2 mounds or rs.100 per cattle.

• donation 20Kg per cattle.

• Kalar (a traditional system of preserving fodder)

will be opened in drought season only.

• revolving fund will be created in the next eight

years by keeping some profit margins.

• labour charges, insurance charges, platform

cost, fencing and weighing cost will be taken as

loan from lok-fada (people’s contribution) ac-

count and will be returned in the account during

next eight years with an interest of 8% per year.

The cFB committee will meet to prepare the budget and put up the proposal to the panchayat for sanction, with the following documents:

1. Resolution (Gram Sabha) to form a cFB

2. Resolution (Gram Sabha) forming cFB 2. committee3. Membership rules and fees of cFB

4. List of members and number of cattle 5. Budget

Outcome: on approval of the proposal the committee will open a cfb account with one Panchayat member and two cfb committee members (at least one to be a woman) as signatories.

On receiving the fund in the cFB account, the cFB committee will form a sub committee for fodder procurement and Kalar making.

After selecting the type and quality of fodder, the cFB members will meet to approve the price and procurement of fodder.

Careful Tips:

• to get the best prices, time of purchase should be in december.

• site selection for fodder bank.• Quality of fodder (preferably thin, leafy and dry).


palatability: Jowar, bajra and maize is consi-dered to be poor quality fodder due to higher crude fiber content (CF) and low crude protein (CP) content. However, jowar is more palatable than other types of poor quality fodders like bajra etc. The palatability should be improved through various physical and chemical techniques.

Grass is considered to be highly palatable due to higher protein content, but varies from species to species and the area where it grows. Some of grass species are considered to have low palatability like cenchrus. Its fibre content is very high.

Types of fodder which can be stored in open area

1. Crop residues (from agriculture field)

Jowar (Sorghum)

Bajra (Bajra)

Makka (Maize)

2. Grasses

Dhraman (Cenchrus)

Dhrabad (Sporobolus)

Shiar Punch (Chloris)

What are the types of fodder and how can it be stored?


nutritive value: The crude protein of crop residues and grasses ranges between 2.9%-4.0%, which is considered to be low. But jowar and maize are better than bajra straw. The crude fibre content is more than 50%.

Nutritive value of grasses can be maintained by using appropriate storage techniques.

The digestibility of roughage fodder jowar, bajra and maize is below 50% which is very low as compared to fodders like groundnut straw etc.

availability: Jowar, bajra and maize straw is easily available as most of Gujarat is under dry land farming.

Grass is available in natural grassland area like vidis/rakhals. (Most of the natural grass land area is under a state of moderate to high degradation).

when to buy:Jowar & Bajra: October - NovemberMaize: February

Grass: October - November onwards up to February - March

storage: Storage problems occur only if we store the fodder having higher moisture content. The required moisture content should be 10% - 15%. During monsoons, there is possibility of fodder getting damaged due to excess moisture content.

Time of harvest, storage technique and duration of storage may affect the nutritive value of fodder.


palatability: Groundnut and cotton straw is considered to be good for digestion. Its digestibility ranges between 50% - 60% which is more palatable as compared to jowar, bajra and maize. The palatability can be improved by simple method of soaking it in water.

nutritive value: The crude protein of these fodder ranges between 5% - 9 % which is higher than that of jowar, bajra and maize. The digestibility of roughage fodder is more than 50%.

availability: Gawar, groundnut and cotton straw is easily available in Gujarat.

Types of fodder which can be stored in covered area

1. Gawar (Cluster bean)

2. Magfali (Groundnut)

3. Kapaas (Cotton)


when to buy:Gawar: November - December

Groundnut straw: October - November and May - June

Coconut straw: March - May

storage: Storage problems occur only if we store the fodder having higher moisture content. The required moisture content should be 10% - 15%. During monsoons, there is a possibility of fodder getting damaged due to water but if we store the fodder under covered area this problem can be easily overcome. This fodder should be put under shed or in godown for long term storage.

Nutrient value of fodder in %

Type of fodder CP CF Digestibility

Jowar 4.1 50 50

bajra 3.1 55 45

Maize 3.5 52 51

Grasses 6.2 - 8.1 - 50

Groundnut 8.2 47 58

cotton 6.3 50 56

cp = crude protein. cf = crude fiber

all figures in percentages


How to preserve fodder? Setting up of fodder bank (Kalar – a traditional method of preserving fodder stock)

1. Identification of site for Kalar

• Kalar should be set up in an open space and away from the residential area in a village.

• It should be set up at a place where it could be easily seen by village people, e.g. a site which is near a talab (pond) or near the main path to the village, to avoid any damage to the Kalar.

• Site should be selected such that there is no water logging.

2. Preparing base platform for Kalar

• Dig a square pit of 1 ft depth under the ground.

• Put a layer of agricultural waste of cotton and green gram and make plinth of 2 ft height.

• Fill the inner space with sand. To avoid termite attack, salt is mixed with sand.


3. Thrashing dry fodder and making layers

• Dry fodder should be thoroughly thrashed to shed off the loose ends of straws. This helps in placing fodder compactly in layers to avoid air pockets.

• Place the first layer of fodder to the height of 4-5 ft and let it settle down for a week. This will help the fodder to compress naturally.

• Repeat step 2 and keep adding layers with a time gap of one week each, after each layer.

• The last layer should be of any low quality fodder, since it remains exposed to atmosphere and is likely to be spoiled due to rain water. This layer is placed giving a slope on both the sides to make the top layer slanting. This is necessary to avoid rainwater retention on the top of the Kalar.


4. Finishing

• After setting up the layers, the outer surfaces of Kalar are made even by hitting it with wooden frames to give it a proper shape. This surfacing also helps in restricting rain water from sipping in between the layers during monsoons.

5. Fencing the Kalar

• To protect the Kalar from cattle, theft or any damage, it is necessary to fence it with locally available bushes.


case study of Community Fodder Bank in Ratadia, taluka Mandvi, Kutch

Mota Ratadia village, located in Mandvi taluka of Kutch has a population of 1200 people. The main communities residing in this village are Gadhvi, Darbar, Harijans and Patels. People in this village are mainly dependant on agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihood. The cattle population in this village is 350. During drought years, the village had to mainly depend on Government relief and outside donations for fodder to feed their cattle. As an initiative to become self reliant in terms of fodder, in 1991 the Yuvak Mandal of this village took up the responsibility of setting up a system to collectively store fodder in good monsoon years, which could be used to feed cattle in drought years. The members of the group contributed to form an initial fund of Rs.1,700/-. Seeds were purchased from this fund and sowing was done in 40 acres of land given by few farmers of the village as their contribution. Few families contributed by providing tractors and other tools and labours. The grass thus grown was collected by village people through shramdaan and was stored in the form of kalar.


The Mandal, over a period of 5 years generated funds through street plays, dramas and entertainment programmes in surrounding villages; and through contribution from the villagers. In the year 1996 the Mandal got formerly registered as Ratadiya Gram Vikas Mandal. In the same year, a platform for Kalar was built at the cost of Rs.1,00,000/-. Today the Mandal is self sustained with 27 acres of land and a tractor in the Mandal’s name. Their main source of income is through,

• Selling of surplus fodder in the market. • Selling of cow dung.• Selling of other cultivated crops • By giving the tractor on rent.• Village contribution and donation. • Government subsidies in the drought years.

Total assets of Ratadiya Gram Vikash Mandal in the year 2004.

PARTICuLARS AMOuNT

Bank Balance 35,000

Total quantity of fodder store (in Rs.) 70,000

Tractor 1,20,000

Platform 1,00,000

27 Acres of Land 2,00,000

Fodder of Groundnut 28,000

Total 5,53,000

In drought years, Ratadiya Mandal feeds 40 mounds of dry fodder and 150 mounds of green fodder daily to 350 cattle of the village.


How to improve the quality of fodder? Straw is important to keep the cattle alive in drought years. However, straw has to be treated or supplemented with other nutrients if we want the animal to be healthy and produce milk.

The following methods can be used to improve the quality and digestibility of our fodder in the fodder banks.

CHAFFING AND CONDITIONING.

usually cattle only eat the leafy part of fodder. The straw (stem) is hard and difficult to eat. Often the hard stems of straw are not eaten and thus wasted. However, it contains fibers that helps the animal digest better and increase their milk yields.

Chaffing

With a small chaffing machine (Rs. 15,000/- for motor operated) cutting the straw into small pieces (2”) has many advantages.• The chaffed fodder occupies less space (3 to 4

times, compared to fodder banks). However it has to be stored in a closed room.

• The chaffing reduces the wastage of straw.• The energy required to digest the straw is less for

the animal, which results in better yield of milk.


Conditioning

One can also convert the cut (chaffed) fodder into powder with the grinding machine (costing Rs. 1,00,000). This has following advantages:• The powdered fodder uses less space (6 to 7 times

compared to fodder banks)• Other nutrients like cotton cakes; stem portion

of Bajra, ground nut, green gram, Gawar, husk of wheat and paddy can be mixed with grinded fodder.

• The powered fodder can also be given a molasses treatment by mixing it with 10% molasses, 3% dust of rice bran, 1% urea and 1% salt.

• This form of fodder is easy to digest.

Urea Treatment

urea treatment is a value addition of fodder. This treatment can be done in straw fodder as well as chaffed fodder. Procedure of urea treatment of fodder

1. Add 40% of water and 4% of urea to fodder and place it in layers.


2. Make a circular heap of straw and cover it with the polythene for 21 days.

3. After 21 days it can be fed to the cattle.

Advantages of urea treatment:

• protein content is 9% more.

• easily digestible.

• increases milk production.


Activities | Week

Formation of fodder bank committee

Fodder committee to make membership rule

Registration of members & cattle

Preparation of budget

Gram Sabha to approve membership rule, budget & signing authority

Sanction of budget

Opening up of bank account

Setting up of sub committees to check the quality and quantity of fodder

Formation of kalar

Month 1 (15th oct-15th nov) Month 2 (15th nov-15th dec) Month 3 (15th dec-15th jan) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Time line for setting up a CFB


published by

acknowledgments

special thanks for support from

illustrations by

designed by

printed by

the DroughT ProoFing ProgrAmme 30 village communities and 14 organizations and 4

Setus with Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan, have been in

a collective effort to revive people’s initiative in manag-

ing droughts, and eliminate community dependency on

drought relief measures. This effort is being supported

by the Government of India, Ministry of Rural Develop-

ment, Government of Gujarat, Department of Rural

development and DRDA, Kutch.

With a thrust on enhancing their domestic water, food

and fodder security during times of drought, the 30

villages have, both, revived traditional systems and

structures of water and fodder management, as also

introduced new, decentralized systems of natural

resource management. The drought proofing initiative

has, to a large extent, been able to gradually change

attitudes to drought, stabilize models of decentralized

domestic water source even for consecutive droughts,

increase productivity of dry land farming, improve

fodder availability and increase irrigation potential.

Kutch nav nirman Abhiyan better known

as Abhiyan, is a network of 27 non-government

organization spread across Kutch. This network has

emerged as a response to the 1998 Kandla Cyclone,

where it became a coordinating point between NGOs,

a forum for advocacy and policy recommendations

to the government and a platform for collective

implementation.

Abhiyan program focuses on capacity building of

member organization and communities and disaster

management.

Dr. rajaram campus, Nr. St. Xavier’s School,

bhuj-Kutch 370001tel. 02832 - 221 379, 221 382

Drought Proofing Cell kutch nav nirman abhiyan

Not drought relief but drought proofing

KutchNavNirmanAbhiyan - CFB booklet - inside - TITLE 2+3 > screen# 150lpi | sap green | tarundeep - 9825024076 . may2005

Do you need a FoDDer Bank?

What is a Community FoDDer Bank?

How can a fodder bank be economically viable?

How to make a good kalar?

How to improve the quality of fodder?


This booklet contains a guideline on how to form community

fodder banks. The guideline is based on field experiment

conducted at village level in Kutch to attain fodder security

during drought years. This initiative is a part of the Drought

Proofing Programme being implemented in Kutch. Based on

the inputs received from the village committees, the guideline

is prepared keeping in mind the social, economic and technical

aspects of Community Fodder Bank.

Although the guideline is only a starting point to revamp the

traditional system of fodder storage at community level, it

encourages us to rethink our assumptions on fodder security

options during droughts.

by KuTCh nAv nirmAn ABhiyAnprice: rs.47/-

KutchNavNirmanAbhiyan - CFB booklet - outside - TITLE 4+1 > screen # 150lpi | sap green black | tarundeep - 9825024076 . may2005

Documents

Community Fodder Banks: a guideline