Characterization of dairy cattle farming in Mbeere District of Eastern Kenya
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Date
2011Author
Katiku, P N
Gachuiri, C K
Mbugua, P N
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
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A comparison of farming systems in two divisions, Siakago and Evurore of Mbeere district of Eastern Kenya was made using data collected with a farm model, Integrated Modeling Platform for mixed Agriculture Crop sysTem (IMPACT). The model was validated with data collected in smallholder mixed crop and dairy farms in the semi-arid district of Kenya. Cross sectional data were collected in 17 farms in each division during the months of March and April, 2007. The data captured included: climate, land management, livestock management, labor allocation, farm’s sales and expenses, and soil nutrient flow.
The mean household size was 5.3 and 5.1 persons for Evurore and Siakago, respectively. The common dairy cattle breeds were Aryshire and Friesian. The mean milk yield was 8.1 and 7.0 kg/d for Siakago and Evurore, respectively with a range of 2.5–10.2 kg/d. For the stall managed dairy animals, most farmers used crop residues and cut pastures as the main source of feed. The feeds were sourced from both within and outside the farms, and ranged from planted and natural forages, crop residues to commercial and home-made concentrates. In both divisions, the basal feed resource was maize stover. However, methods of processing the stover prior to feeding varied, either fed whole in unprocessed form to chopping using either machete (panga) or chaff-cutter. Rhodes grass was the main ley pasture, while natural pastures mainly consisted of Cynodon spp and Rhychelyntrum species. During the dry period, when various feed resources were in short supply, banana stems and cereal by-products (wheat and rice bran and pollard) were used to sustain the animals.
A snapshot analysis of farm cash flow identified three main sources of income; crops, dairy and off-farm. Crop and/or dairy farming constituted the major source of income. Annual income from crops was estimated at Kenya Shillings (KES) 1.8± 0.21 and 1.7± 0.29 million for Siakago and Evurore respectively whereas annual income from dairy farming was estimated at KES 3.3 ± 0.31 and 1.5± 0.08 million for Siakago and Evurore respectively. Off farm income was insignificant in some farms but was a major source of income for farmers in Evurore division.
The potential of both crop and livestock farming in contributing to the economy of households in the two Divisions was not realized and there is need to device strategies which would help farmers to reap maximum returns from agriculture, particularly under the current continuum of agricultural product value chain.
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http://lrrd.cipav.org.co/lrrd23/11/kati23236.htmhttp://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/34613
Citation
Katiku P N, Gachuiri C K and Mbugua P N 2011: Characterization of dairy cattle farming in Mbeere District of Eastern Kenya. Livestock Research for Rural Development. Volume 23, Article #236. Retrieved June 17, 2013Publisher
Kenya Agriculture Research Institute, Kiboko Research Centre, Makindu, Kenya University of Nairobi, Department of Animal Production, Nairobi, Kenya