Exploring the use of alternative forage legume crops to enhance organic livestock farming in a context of climate and socio-economic changes
2012
F., López-i-Gelats | J., Bartolomé
Organic livestock farming is going through notable growth in the Mediterranean Europe. This increase is being sponsored by the EU agri-environmental schemes, but also by the rising interest of consumers. However, constraints exist that threaten to curb the present trend. One of them is the lack of good quality forage. There is thus a need to investigate if unusual forage crops could produce good harvests under organic management in Mediterranean conditions. Accordingly, we have conducted an initial exploration on the nutritional value of alternative forage legume crops that organic farmers are growing in Catalonia (Spain), specifically: sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), Narbon vetch (Vicia narbonensis) and bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia). These forage crops are well adapted to poor soils, harsh weathers, and low water, fertiliser and phytosanitary applications. They have been traditionally cultivated in the Mediterranean region, but they have been gradually dismissed due to the spread of high-yielding forage varieties. The preliminary results indicate that not only these crops are forages of an excellent nutritional value, but they show similar or even superior nutritional values when cultivated organically. However, further research is required in this domain to gather further evidences.
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