| dc.description.abstract | Cross-sectional studies were carried out to assess livestock production systems and
production of rice based feed resources in the Mwea Irrigation Scheme (MIS),
Kirinyaga district. The scheme is located about 100 kms Northeast of Nairobi in a semi
arid area with a mean annual rainfall of 950 mm. PRA (April 2001) and household
survey (October 2001) methods were used to evaluate livestock production while
biomass estimation and laboratory analysis were used to appraise the rice by products.
A bio economic computer model PRY was used to estimate the productivity index for
cattle at the current state of the system
Results showed that livestock production in the rice-based irrigation scheme was multifaceted.with the objective of provision of a variety of services and products for
subsistence. Over 76% of the households possessed different species of livestock of
indigenous origin with local Small East African Zebu (SEAZ) and indigenous chicken
being the most dominant species. Open grazing systems were mainly used for ruminant
livestock with crop by products provided in night bornas near the homesteads while
poultry scavenged around. Productivity was low, at an annual average of 913 litres of
milk per cow and 42 eggs per hen. Cattle were used to provide draft power and manure
for crop production, but most rice growers preferred to sell their manure. About 13%,
23% and 55% of the households reportedly used rice straw as livestock feed, burned
and spread in the field, respectively. About 96% of the households did not use rice
milling by-products for either crops or livestock production. This depicted low croplivestock interactions in the scheme. As a measure of overall cattle productivity,
productivity index ''Total Output Value (TOV)/Dry Matter Intake (DMI)" was calculated as kshs 16/kgDMI of untreated rice straw per animal year using the PRYmodel.
Rice biomass production was significantly different (P<O.05) among farms studied,
reflecting varied production practices at the farm level. Notably all non-tenant farmers
used farmyard manure in combination with inorganic fertilizers. However, there was no
significant difference' (P>O.05) in biomass production between tenant and non-tenant
farmers. The results showed that MIS with an estimated 8,617 hectares could produce
146,489 tonnes of straw per rice growing season. Laboratory analysis of rice straw and
milling by products showed wide variations in chemical composition. Despite
availability of rice by products, feed scarcity was one of the important constraints to
livestock production, in addition to diseases and poor breeds.
Although indigenous livestock are suited for survival under prevailing conditions in
Mwea, productivity would significantly improve if appropriate intervention measures
were put in place across the entire spectrum of breeds, feeding, disease control and
general management. On farm trials should be conducted on simple technologies to
improve utilisation of the rice by products. Crop-livestock interactions need to be
enhanced so as to raise productivity of the farming systems and make them more
sustainable.
- | en |
