The major constraint on livestock production in the tropics is the shortage of good-quality feed, especially in the dry season. In Mozambique, native grasses and crop by-products are the main sources of roughage for ruminants, including cows, sheep, and goats, and the requirements for livestock feed often exceed the forage accessible during the dry season. When ruminants do not acquire high-quality roughage, milk and meat production decreases, and the incidence of disease may increase. 
Some agricultural by-products can be stored fresh as silage to facilitate ruminant feeding during the dry season. The main factor that determines feed quality and affects animal production is how crop by-products are dealt with after harvest. Therefore, it is important to develop effective techniques to optimize the use of alternative agricultural by-product resources for animal feed, to meet the nutrient requirements of animals. Silage and total mixed ration (TMR) prepared with locally available feed resources can help achieve this goal.
This manual is based on the results of the project“Food Security in Africa”. This work was conducted by the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Japan, and Instituto de Investigação Agraria de Moçambique (IIAM), Mozambique. 
We hope that this manual will serve as a useful reference on silage production for researchers and farmers.