Assessing the mitigation potential of nutrient blocks made of tropical trees and legumes

Johanna Mazabel, Isabel Molina, Alexander Hincapie, Jose Igor Hleap Zapata, Jacobo Arango

Livestock is an important source of livelihood for more than 900 million smallholders in low and middle-income countries. Currently, demand for livestock products is increasing around the world by population growth, urbanization, and rising incomes (Balehegn et al., 2020).
Fruits and leaves of tropical trees and legumes are highly nutritious and serve as a valuable source of essential nutrients for animal feed.
Nutrient blocks are important for providing supplemental nutrition to ruminants when grazing on low-quality forage or during feed scarcity, promoting growth, and maintaining rumen health (Takawale et al., 2016).