The feeding systems of small ruminants in Northern Ghana are characterized by waste which necessitates efficient use of the available feed resources, particularly in the dry season. To this end, the use of improved feed trough was demonstrated in three communities in Northern Ghana, namely Duko and Tibali in Northern region; Gia in Upper East region in the late dry, wet, and early dry seasons between March 2019 and February 2020. This study involved 10 farmers randomly selected in each community. The participating farmers were provided with one improved feed trough each which was then compared to the traditional feed trough. Data were collected on the quantity of feed offered, amount wasted, and time spent feeding the animals for six consecutive days in the three study sites across seasons. To document the perception of the farmers on the improved feed trough, a semi-structured questionnaire was administered. Results showed that improved feed trough reduced feed waste significantly in the study sites across seasons. For example, the percentages of waste in feeding the animals using the traditional feed trough were 35%, 22%, and 27% in Duko, Gia, and Tibali, respectively, in the late dry season compared to less than 1% with the improved feed trough during the same season. The farmers\' perceptions were similar to the findings of this study which suggest that efficient feed utilization by small ruminants can be enhanced with the use of improved feed trough.

This study evaluated the varietal variability and interrelationship of the grain and stover yields, and stover quality characteristics of four common vetch varieties (three improved varieties and one local variety) used on the Tibetan Plateau. Stover quality attributes determined included chemical composition, in vitro true digestibility of dry matter (IVTD) and neutral detergent fibre (dNDF). The improved varieties were superior to the local variety in grain yield, harvest index and potential utility index (PUI). The wide ranges in the proportions of leaf (24.3%-34.6%), pod (22.0%-45.6%) and stem (29.5%-44.7%) fractions were observed. Significant varietal differences (p < .001) were observed for the whole-stover content of crude protein [CP; 78.1-101 g/kg dry matter (DM)], neutral detergent fibre (aNDF; 520-564 g/kg DM), acid detergent fibre (ADF; 520-564 g/kg DM), IVTD (597-658 g/kg DM) and dNDF (305-384 g/kg aNDF). The leaf fraction had the highest levels of CP, IVTD and dNDF, while the highest contents of aNDF and ADF were observed in the stem fraction. Canonical correlation analysis showed that significant (p < .001) correlations between the quality attributes of whole stover and proportions and quality attributes of stover morphological fractions. Pearson correlation between the grain and stover yield was negative and significant (r = -.295; p = .001), while the correlations between the grain/stover yield and stover quality traits were positive or non-significant. Ranking of the varieties differed when grain yield, PUI and stover quality scores were investigated. Of the varieties tested, Lanjian No.2 has the best potential for use as a ruminant feed, as indicated by PUI and stover quality.