Alternative Animal Feed Can Boost Food Security, Healthier Poultry Products, FUNAAB DVC Says

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Olusegun Mark Obafemi Idowu, has called for increased investment in alternative animal feed resources as a sustainable solution to Nigeria's food security challenges, rising livestock production costs and the demand for healthier animal products.

Professor Idowu made the call while delivering the university's 114th Inaugural Lecture on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Delivering the lecture titled "Feed to Food: Biological Machines in the Hands of a Monogastric Nutritionist," the Professor of Monogastric Animal Nutrition said his decades of research have shown that locally available, non-conventional feed resources can significantly reduce livestock production costs while improving animal performance and the nutritional quality of poultry products.

According to him, his research has established the nutritional and economic value of alternative feed ingredients, including:

• Cassava Root Sievate.
• Shrimp Waste.
• Unpeeled Cassava Root Meal.

Professor Idowu explained that these feed materials improve feed conversion efficiency while reducing dependence on conventional feed ingredients that compete directly with human food consumption.

He also disclosed that one of the major outcomes of his research was the reduction of cholesterol levels in poultry products through dietary manipulation.

According to him, incorporating alternative feed resources into poultry diets significantly reduced cholesterol concentrations in eggs, blood plasma and liver tissues, while dietary copper supplementation enhanced cholesterol excretion.

He added that the combined use of copper and ascorbic acid effectively lowered cholesterol without leaving excessive copper residue in chicken muscles.

Professor Idowu, who is also a member of the Governing Council of University of Lagos (UNILAG), described animal nutrition as a vital link between feed production and food security.

He urged governments, researchers and private-sector stakeholders to:

• Invest in the production and processing of alternative feed resources.
• Intensify research into non-conventional feed ingredients and agro-industrial by-products.
• Strengthen collaboration among researchers, farmers, feed manufacturers and policymakers.
• Prioritise continuous professional development for animal nutritionists.

He noted that adopting innovative feeding strategies would improve the efficiency and competitiveness of Nigeria's livestock industry while making nutritious animal protein more accessible to the growing population.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of FUNAAB, Babatunde Kehinde, described the university's 114th Inaugural Lecture as another milestone in its commitment to advancing scholarship, innovation and research-driven solutions to national development challenges.

He noted that the lecture was the fourth inaugural lecture from the Department of Animal Nutrition and the 14th from the College of Animal Science and Livestock Production (COLANIM).

Presenting the profile of the inaugural lecturer, Professor Kehinde said Professor Idowu obtained all his academic degrees from FUNAAB:

• Bachelor of Agriculture in Animal Nutrition (1994).
• Master's Degree in Monogastric Animal Nutrition (1999).
• Ph.D. in Monogastric Animal Nutrition (2004).

He added that Professor Idowu joined the university as a Graduate Assistant in 1997 and became a Professor of Monogastric Animal Nutrition in 2014.

The Vice-Chancellor also highlighted Professor Idowu's administrative responsibilities, including:

• Acting Head, Department of Animal Nutrition.
• Chairman, University Timetable and Examination Committee (TIMTEC).
• Director, FUNAAB Distance Learning Centre.
• Director, Institute of Food Security, Environmental Resources and Agricultural Research (IFSERAR).
• Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).

Professor Kehinde further disclosed that Professor Idowu has published more than 70 journal articles and over 20 conference papers, while attracting several national and international research grants from organisations including the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), DelPHE, the EDULINK ACP-EU Cooperation Programme and the West African Network of Organic Agriculture and Research and Training (WANOART).