1. Introduction
Ruminant feed resources in the urban and peri-urban areas of Ghana are mainly agro-industrial by-products.
Limited quantities of native pastures along roadsides and on abandoned or undeveloped plots of land are also available,but agro-industrial by-products (e.g., cassava peel,plantain peel, brewer’s spent grains, and corn cobs) con-stitute the largest feed resource (Baah, 1994). Among the agro-industrial by-products, cassava peel is the most abundant and has the greatest potential as a basal feedstuff for small ruminants. The annual production of cassava in
Ghana is approximately 6.6 million metric tonnes (FAO,1998). The peel as a byproduct of processing the roots for
starch, cassava flour and “gari” (a fermented cassava meal product) constitute 11% of the root, with approximately
400,000MT (dry matter basis) of peel produced annually in Ghana. That cassava is produced throughout the year
ensures a consistent supply for livestock feeding.Optimal utilization of fibrous agricultural by-products by ruminants require sources of readily fermentable energy