Husbandry practices and constraints of smallholder dairy production in Dilla Zuriya district, Gedeo Zone, Ethiopia

Characterization of smallholder irob cattle production system: contributions to develop a breeding program

An exploratory survey (i) to investigate livestock production system, reproductive and production performance of Irob cattle and (ii) to recognize constraints to cattle production was conducted in eastern Tigray zone, northern Ethiopia. Six tabias (the smallest administrative unit consisting of several villages) were chosen using purposive sampling method and households from each tabia were randomly selected. Mixed crop-livestock farming system dominates the study area. Overall herd size was 5.3 ± 2.7, with each herd comprising of 1.7 ± 1.2 cows, 1.4 ± 0.9 oxen, 0.5 ± 0.7 heifers, 0.5 ± 0.7 bulls and 1.2 ± 0.9 calves. Cattle are kept for draught power (index = 0.43), milk (index = 0.32), income (index = 0.15), manure (index = 0.06) and crop threshing (index = 0.04). Major feed resources in the study area were natural pasture, crop residue and cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica). Overall mean (± SD) for age at first services (AFS), age at first calving (AFC), calving interval (CI), days open (DO), daily milk yield (DMY) and lactation length (LL) was 28.3 ± 3.9 months, 37.4 ± 5.5 months, 15.5 ± 4.1 months, 6.5 ± 1.8 months, 1.7 ± 0.4 L and 7.4 ± 2.0 months, respectively. There was no significant (p > 0.05) difference in performance traits between districts. Well-known cattle production constraints in order of significance were feed, disease and parasites, AI, water and veterinary service. In conclusion, the study shown importance of taking into account the production environment in developing breed improvement program and recommends fit management system.

Dairy farmer's perception on feeding, conservation, and constraints of brewery by-products utilization in selected districts of Ethiopia

A survey was conducted in Ada'a, Sululta, and Debre Birhan districts. The districts are located in the vicinity of brewery factories. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from purposively selected dairy farmers (160). Data were analyzed with a statistical package for social sciences (Version 21). The majority of farmers (69.4%) used wet brewery-spent grain (WBSG), whereas 30% of them used both WBSG and wet brewery spent yeast (WBSY). Farmers obtained WBSG and WBSY only in fresh form from the distributors. The majority of farmers (66.67%) blended WBSG and WBSY with concentrate and roughage feed before feeding it to their animals, while 14.47% fed the by-products alone to their animals. Several farmers (60.1%) responded that the key reason for providing WBSG and WBSY to their livestock was higher production (increased milk and growth rates). The majority (82.78%) of farmers used common salt to extend the shelf life of WBSG and WBSY. Out of 128 (80%) farmers who reported spoilage in WBSG, 49 (38.28%) farmers observed sever mold development, while the remaining 12 (9.38%) and 28 (21.88%) saw change in colour and unpleasant odor. According to 68 (53.13%) of the farmers who experienced in WBSG spoiling, the amount of spoilt was less than 9% and 10-20% of the total purchased. The majority of farmers (87.8%) reported that storage time and storage conditions (temperature, moisture, and humidity) were the primary reasons of WBSG spoilage, whereas 12.2% of the farmers reported that inadequate sanitation of feeding troughs, transportation, and storage facilities were the primary causes of spoilage. The key restrictions of brewery by-product utilization were found as scarcity and high purchasing costs. Farmers (44.38% and 41.86%) believed that feeding WBSG and WBSY to dairy cattle have negative health effect, respectively. In conclusion, insufficient and irregular supply, rising cost of material and transport, spoilage, and health-related hazards are the main constraints of WBSG and WBSY usage. It is suggested that there is a dire need for consistent supply, staying away from the brokers, and preserving the brewery by-products through sun drying, and ensiling. Additionally, more research is required to determine the negative health impact of feeding brewer by-products for dairy cattle.

Study on categorization of factors affecting smallholder dairy production in Siltie Zone, Southern Ethiopia, applying multivariate analysis approaches

This study aims to categorize smallholder dairy farming systems through multivariate analysis. Nonlinear categorical principal component analysis (NLPCA) was used to lessen 35 variables into 4 sets of uncorrelated components. These four categories are environment-genetic interaction, management, hygiene, and genetic-related factors. Besides, within the two-step cluster analysis, a variable cluster membership was created that identified which family belonged to which cluster. For comparison purpose, hierarchical cluster analysis was used. A two-step cluster analysis results showed that most farms (41.50% and 31.90% in peri-urban and urban areas, respectively, had been in cluster 1 at the same time as most farms (66.70%) of urban areas had been in cluster 2. Overall, most (31.00% and 34.00%) of farms have been in clusters 1 and 2, respectively. Most farms in peri-urban areas had been challenged with scarcity of feed, mastitis, and animal sickness than farms within the urban and rural farming systems. Forming farmer groups as a cooperative to supply offerings together with feed processing devices, artificial insemination, and health services is usually recommended to triumph over such hassle. In addition, on account that it is primarily based on a couple of criteria, the category system evolved in this study depicts a lot better dairy farming systems with admiration to the variety of the components and the relative contribution of each component to dairy farming than do the single-criterion classifications. Hence, the results of such classifications should be seen as a start line from which to efficiently compare the modern extension system and eventually design the high-quality-fit extension models for a heterogeneous populace of smallholder dairy farmers.