Livestock farming is the backbone of Nepal’s rural economy and daily livelihood. The sector contributes nearly 12 per cent to the national GDP and provides nutrition, employment, and income to millions of families.
With annual production exceeding 12.8 million metric tons of cow milk, 14 million metric tons of buffalo milk, 447,000 metric tons of meat, and more than 16 million eggs daily, livestock is at the heart of Nepal’s food security.
Yet, behind these figures lies a hidden challenge: the nutrition gap in animal feeding. Despite farmers’ efforts, animals often do not get the nutrients they require for optimum health and productivity.
The gap on animal feeding
Livestock production costs are dominated by feed, which accounts for up to 70 per cent of total expenses. But the worrying reality is that feed itself is not sufficient in quality and balance. Studies highlight a 33 per cent shortage in dry matter and nearly 40 per cent deficiency in total digestible nutrients (TDN) across Nepal’s livestock diets.
This imbalance leads to multiple challenges: reduced productivity where milk yields stagnate, meat growth slows, and egg production falls below potential; poor reproduction as infertility, weak offspring, and low conception rates remain common issues; health risks where nutrient imbalance makes animals prone to metabolic diseases and weak immunity; and economic loss since despite heavy spending on feed, farmers often face poor returns, creating frustration in the farming community.
Traditional feeding based largely on available crop residues, roughages, and occasional concentrate supplements fills the animals’ stomachs but not their nutritional needs. This mismatch highlights the urgent need for a scientific approach.
The emerging solution: Livestock Nutrition Audit (LiNA)
Livestock Nutrient Audit System (LiNA) is a systematic process that evaluates the adequacy and balance of nutrients provided to livestock by assessing feed types, quantities, and nutrient composition against species and stage-specific nutritional requirements.
It considers important factors such as breed, age, body weight, and physiological status whether maintenance, growth, pregnancy, or lactation. This structured assessment identifies nutrient deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances, enabling data-driven feed formulation, optimised resource utilisation, enhanced animal productivity, and sustainable livestock management across various species including cattle, buffalo, goats, sheep, pigs, and poultry.
Simply put, LiNA helps farmers and nutritionists optimize feed formulation for both ruminants and non-ruminants. The result is improved productivity, reproduction, and health while reducing feed costs and nutrient wastage.
How the system works
The audit operates through a step-by-step process beginning with feeding pattern assessment, which involves understanding what and how often animals are fed. This is followed by roughage-concentrate ratio analysis to balance forages like silage and grasses with nutrient-rich concentrates such as grains, oil cakes, and protein meals.
Nutrient availability testing then identifies the nutritional value of available feed sources in terms of energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water. The next step is requirement matching, where available nutrition is compared against the animal’s needs considering its physiological stage.
Finally, gap identification and recommendation highlight shortages or excesses and suggest cost-effective feed adjustments or supplements.
Why LiNA matters for farmers
Introducing LiNA can have transformative effects. Cows produce more milk, poultry lays more eggs, and meat animals reach market weight faster, directly enhancing productivity. Better nutrition also improves reproduction, reducing infertility and resulting in healthier calves, kids, or chicks. Feed costs are lowered as smarter use of local feed resources reduces dependence on expensive imports.
Environmental benefits are another advantage since less nutrient waste means reduced pollution and methane emissions. Most importantly, LiNA boosts farmer confidence as feeding decisions are guided by science rather than guesswork.
The scope in Nepal
Nepal already has about 118 feed industries producing commercial concentrates and supplements. But unless feeding practices at the farm level are guided by actual nutrient requirements, farmers will continue to face inefficiencies. LiNA offers a practical way forward.
When combined with forage development such as Napier, Teosinte, and Leucaena, feed innovations like silage, Urea Molasses Mineral Blocks, and Total Mixed Rations, along with digital advisory systems including apps and farmer-friendly tools, Nepal can move closer to feed self-reliance and a more sustainable livestock economy.
Livestock Nutrition Audit is more than just a feeding tool it is a revolution in animal farming. By identifying the nutrition gap and offering tailored solutions, LiNA ensures healthier animals, higher productivity, and improved profitability for farmers.
If widely implemented, this system can transform Nepal’s livestock industry from a traditional subsistence activity into a modern, efficient, and competitive enterprise. For a country that relies heavily on livestock for food security and rural prosperity, LiNA could be the game-changer of the future.
