Abstract

Regional fodder trees, shrubs and herbs play an important role in the forage production and receive increased research attention. Fruitful information from farmers and herdsmen about the species they use is lacking in the area. The objective of the study was to find out herdsmen and farmers preference of local fodder species, their criteria for assessing fodder species and the best fodder in the area. The study was carried out in the semi arid region of Tank District. Information was gathered through a semi structured open questionnaire by interviewing 375 respondents of different age groups in different villages of Tank District during 2008 to 2009. A total of 38 different local fodder species were used by farmers and herdsmen. The three most preferred species were Acacia nilotica, Zizyphus mauritiana and Con vol vulus arvensis. The most frequently mentioned criteria were palatability, ability of the fodder to satisfy hunger and resistance to drought (ever green nature)..

Key words: Rangelands, herbivory, palatability, animal preferences.