The importance of green fodder is needless to say. I mean the milk we drink doesn’t come from thin air, right? A certain amount of feed needs to be provided to the cattle to survive. Therefore, having sufficient quantity is a concern, especially when India is facing a shortage of 63.5 percent. And it is because of this, the cost of green fodder has increased greatly, almost by three times in between 2011 and 2016. Well, the reasons behind this are many, from lack of awareness amongst farmers, malpractices on cattle to the scarcity of resources for production. Using green fodder will not only provide high yield, they work as a natural ingredient for the growth of the livestock. Significantly, they cut the expenses on buying costly feed.
Farmers face a lot of limitations regarding soil and climate conditions to produce green fodder. And in the scarce condition traditional fodder production method is simply impossible. When troubled with lack of irrigation water, a hydroponic technique for green fodder production can be a useful tool. This way you will be able to produce maize, bajra, and wheat etc. Because this technique doesn’t need soil, limitations like inferior or saline soil and waterlogged soil can be overcome. Since it requires very less amount of water, the green fodder production can be undertaken in the affected areas. Let’s have a look at the advantages of hydroponic fodder production;
- Water conservation
- Minimal use of pesticide
- Control over the environment
- Land preservation
- Less labor as well as reduced maintenance costs
- Weed free
- Contamination free
- Faster growth
- Continual produce
- Highly palatable
Now, the question is how to make the farmers aware of this type of green fodder production technique. Well, you can conduct computer-aided training programs at village level by experts. Actually, a few such training programs have been held. Significantly, a lot of farmers have shown interest. More such initiatives are likely to take place in the near future.