Nutritional Benefit and Economic Value of Hydroponics Fodder Production Technology in Sustainable Livestock Production Against Climate Change - A Mini-Review

Abstract

In many parts of the world, production of sufficient green fodder and grain to feed the livestock population has become a big challenge. This is due to limited land allocation, fertilizer and manure requirements for cultivation, lack of irrigation facilities and natural calamity. To overcome this problem, hydroponics fodder production technology is an emerging as alternative to grow sufficient quality fodder and some parts of concentrate in livestock farms. Hydroponic fodder production is a method of fodder production, in which fodder seeds are germinated into a high quality, highly nutritious, disease free animal food in a hygienic environment. It is also more palatable and digestible and can be grown in low cost devices with locally home grown grains. Moreover, it is advantageous in terms of nutritional benefit and economic value, constant food supply year-round, marginal land use, reduced labour requirement and natural feed for animals. However, there is a big gap and no adequate compiled information that clearly indicates the importance of hydroponics fodder production for sustainable livestock production against climate change. Therefore, it is important to review the aspect thoroughly and bring minor details into focus to have better understanding of hydroponics fodder production for sustainable livestock production against climate change.