The potential of local forage in supporting the sustainability of goat farming in the Gombong Selatan karst region, Central Java Province, Indonesia

Abstract The Gombong Selatan karst region, located in Central Java Province, Indonesia, is a landscape with significant environmental values, including water resources, biodiversity, and tourism. Ongoing limestone mining activities are causing ecosystem damage, which results in a decrease in soil fertility with a total nitrogen content of 0.049%, total P 2 O 5 content of 0.102%, and total K 2 O content of 0.086%. Furthermore, damage to the ecosystem has an impact on decreasing the quantity, quality, and continuity of local forage. This is particularly concerning since some residents in the Gombong Selatan karst region rely on goat farming as a key component of their household economy. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential of local forage in supporting the sustainability of community-owned goat farming businesses. This study employed a survey method, involving observations the availability of forage among goat farmers and laboratory analysis of its nutrient content. The selection of respondents and forage samples was conducted randomly. The results indicated that the diversity of local forage in the Gombong Selatan karst region was predominantly composed of shrubs and grasses, with legumes being present in limited quantities, while agricultural waste was rarely found as goat feed. The dominant local forage species were Cynodon dactylon (Cd), Neptunia lutea (Nl), Mikania micrantha (Mm), Ageratum conyzoides (Mo), and Chromolaena odorata (Co). The production of forage in the Gombong Selatan karst region ranges from 4.9 to 5.8 tons/ha/year, with a dry matter (DM) content of 12.5% to 30.4%, crude protein (CP) ranging from 8.2% to 16.9%, ether extract (EE) between 1.34% and 3.01%, and crude fiber (CF) between 21.50% and 35.20%. The rumen fermentation profiles showed dry matter digestibility (DMD) ranging from 33.42% to 42.16% and organic matter digestibility (OMD) from 47.63% to 57.50%. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that local forage still has high potential to support the sustainability of goat farming in the Gombong Selatan karst region, despite ongoing limestone mining activities.