Journal of Arid Environments (1992) 22: 271-276 Leaf litter and Acacia pods as feed for livestock during the dry season in Acacia-Commiphora bushland, Kenya P. T. Scholte Laboratoire de Farcha, P.O. Box 433 N'Djamena, Tchad (Received 6 December 1990, accepted 5 February 1991) The composition of the dry season diets of cattle and goats in an area with deciduous Acacia--Commiphora bushland, Eastern Province, Kenya, was quanti- fied. Main consumed products were Acaciapods contributing 37 and 30% of the diet of goats and cattle respectively, and leaf litter contributing 22 and 29% respectively _In the study year a short period of protein deficiency occurred only in the beginning of the dry season, due to the dominance of protein-poor leaf litter. During the remainder of the dry season and the first part of the rainy season, protein-rich Acaciapods and browse enabled especially goats to collect a more balanced diet. The high contribution of Acacia pods and leaf litter shows the importance of bushland for grazing livestock. Introduction Large parts of North East and East Africa consist of dry deciduous bushland, dominated by species of the genera Acacia and Commiphora (White, 1983). An important part of its annual primary production consists of leaves and fruits, that usually becomes available for herbivores as litter. The importance of Acacia pods in this respect is well documented (Lamprey, 1967;Le Houerou, 1980); it is often the main source of forage in valleys during the dry season (e.g. Dougall & Bogdan, 1958). Leaf litter has only been mentioned in passing (Edwards, 1948; Dougall & Bogdan, 1958; Field, 1979).Quantitative information on both forage sources, however, is scarce, and is absent for Acacia-Commiphora bushland such as in the study area. The present study was part of a land evaluation study of the Chuka-South area, Kenya (de Meester & Legger, 1988). Its aim was to investigate the significance of various forage sources for livestock and to identify the major ecological bottlenecks in the grazing system (Scholte, 1986). Study area The study area is situated near Ishiara, Eastern Province, Kenya, and is representative for the eastern Chuka-South area (de Meester & Legger, 1988), in the lower Embu and Meru districts. Mean annual rainfall is about 800 mm, equally distributed between two periods 0140-1963/92/030271 + 06 $03-00/0 © 1992 Academic Press Limited