The dromedary camel ( Camelus dromedarius) feed resources and utilization practices in Borana Plateau, southern Ethiopia

Although camel production is the primary source of revenue for pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in the Borana, a number of issues affect camel performance in the area, with one of the most pressing being feed availability. Camel production often involves optimizing available feed availability, which is considered to be the principal limiting factor in a free-browsing environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feed resources that are available for dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) and their utilization practices in the Borana Plateau, southern Ethiopia. A household survey questionnaire, a focused group discussion, and key informant interviews were utilized to collect data from 364 camel herders in nine kebeles in the districts of Yabello, Elwaye, and Gomole. The results show that browsing trees and shrubs (53.3%) were the most commonly known feed resources accessible in the study’s areas, followed by herbaceous feed resources (42.3%). The total dry matter (DM) available was 1379.59 tons less than the total dry matter required for camels, which was 5242.71 tons. The total dry matter balance was −3863.12 tons along the studied districts, which was below the requirements. Camel feed is scarce all year, and the survey results show that 90.9% of respondents do not conserve camel feed in any way. Furthermore, 89.6% stated that they have received no training in feed conservation measures. This finding highlighted the significance of raising herder awareness of fundamental feed management and conservation techniques.