Document(s) 5 of 14

The Three-strata Forage System (TSFS) uses 0.09 hectares of land on the perimeter of a 0.25-hectare crop field. This land is used to grow grass and legumes (stratum 1), shrubs (stratum 2), and fodder trees (stratum 3). Cattle are kept in stalls and fed exclusively with forage from the plot, unlike traditional systems where the cattle are tethered on grass during the day. Modified versions of the system are operating in India and Southeast Asia. Farmers adapt the system by choosing appropriate forage species and deciding on the amount of land to be allocated to fodder production. 
 
 
  The researchers are finding that the Three-strata Forage System can: 

• Produce more forage than other systems;
• Increase the number of animals that can be sustained on a given farm;
• Increase farmers' incomes from improved livestock production, higher crop yield, and more off-the-farm earnings;
• Reduce soil erosion and increase soil fertility;
• Provide up to 90% of a household's firewood needs (after it is established for six years);
• Free up farmers' time spent tending livestock, allowing more time for non-farm work and social activity;
• Provide year-round livestock feed.

•  Ficus, Lannea, Hibiscus, and Erythrina (fodder trees); 
• Acacia, Gliricidia, and Leucaena (shrub legumes); 
• Centrosema, Verano stylo, and Scabra stylo (ground legumes); 
• Cenchrus, Panicum, and Urochloa (grasses). 

• Adoption by farmers - The TSFS has been adopted by almost all farmers in Bali, especially the stratum 2 (shrubs) and stratum 3 (fodder trees) components as boundaries for fields. 
• The TSFS is being developed in other regions of Indonesia, including Bima (Sumba Island), Belitar (Eastern Java), Palembang (South Sumatra), and Ambon (Maluku Island). 

• Adoption by government - Since 1995, the Indonesian Department of Livestock Service has been using the Three-strata Forage System (TSFS) as a national program to increase the supply and quality of livestock feed in the country's 27 provinces. 

• Integration into university curricula - In 1996, the faculties of animal husbandry at nine universities in eastern Indonesia integrated the TSFS into their research and development programs. The TSFS has also become a course in Udayana University's Department of Nutrition and Tropical Forage Science, the  Department of Animal Production, and the Department of Extension and Livestock Product Technology. 

• International interest - Requests for information on the TSFS have come from Algeria, Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Mexico, and Greece. 

• Ongoing research and development - Research and development projects are ongoing to the year 2000, including studies of: 
• The long-term effects of the TSFS on Bali cow reproduction;
• The effect of  Gliricidia (stratum 2) on the yield of food crops, fodder, native grass, firewood, and seeds; 
• Comparison of the role of shrubs (stratum 2) planted as fences, in the present system, to shrubs planted as alleys (in arable land), or as clusters (in fallow land);
• The seed production of Retahuleu provenance of Gliricidia sepium (stratum 2); 
• Seeds have been sent to Laos, China, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, England (Oxford), and to Kenya (ICRAF - International Centre for Research in Agroforestry) for demonstration plots;
• The effect of cutting interval and frequency on the production of fodder and firewood from Gliricidia.

• Partnerships - Because direct IDRC funding of this research ended in 1993, a variety of organizations have provided ongoing research money. These include FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization - United Nations), OFI (Oxford Forestry Institute), Okayama University (Japan), the regional and provincial governments of Bali, as well as a range of local NGOs (e.g. Daya Pertiwi, Bumi Asih, FPP, and Futaba). 

• Academic training - From 1985 to 1996, three doctorates, eight Master's, and 70 Bachelor degrees have been completed on TSFS research. 

• Guide to the establishment and management of the three-strata forage system (booklet);
• The challenge of dryland farming (video), produced by the Department of Information of the province of Bali.

Arga, W.;  Nuraini, K.; Sutrisna, I.B.; Gede Ustriyana, I.N. 1991. Socio-economic and communication aspects of three strata forage system application in North Bali. Udayana University, Denpasar.  220 pp: ill. Abstract in Indonesian. PROJECT NO: 83-0227  (Final report.) location: ARCHIV  633.2:002(910)   A 7. 

Nitis, I.M.;  Lana, K.; Suarna, M.; Sukanten, W.; Putra, S.; Universitas Udayana,  Denpaser. 1989. Three strata system for cattle feeds and feeding in dryland farming area in Bali. Udayana University, Bali.  252 pp.: ill. PROJECT NO: 83-0227  (Final report) location: ARCHIV  633.1:636.2   N 5. 

Nuraini, N.K. Communication aspects and research extension linkages of the three strata forage system in Bali. In: Devendra, C. IDRC. Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia,  Singapore. 

Shrubs and tree fodders for farm animals: proceedings of a workshop in Denpasar, Indonesia, 24-29 July 1989. 1990. IDRC, Ottawa, Ontario.  pp. 130-135. 

Universitas Udayana,  Denpaser. 1993. Gliricidia for goat feeds and feeding in the three strata forage system. Udayana State University, Bali. 227 pp.: ill. Summary in Indonesian. PROJECT NO: 90-0263   (Final report)  location: ARCHIV  636.085(910)   U 4. 

From the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization - United Nations) Web site: 

Rosales, Mauricio. Tree mixtures within integrated farming systems. (CIPAV - COLCIENCIAS, Colombia;  E-mail: cipav@cali.cetcol.net.co), and Margaret Gill (Natural Resources Institute, UK; E-mail: Margaret.Gill@nri.org); 

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info@idrc.ca | June 16, 1998

Document(s) 5 of 14