Holistic grazing planning and reciprocal grazing agreements. This technology is more environmentally friendly than the free. How to survive alone in the wilderness for 1 week eastern woodlands duration. Elephants have also died at a tremendous rate, with 84 deliberately killed in the first half of 2017, compared to 75 during the whole of 2016, according to data compiled by the. The exotic breeds of cattle include the aberdeen angus for beef. Kenya second livestock development project english the.
Very few dairy farmers can boast of getting 90 litres of milk per day from five cows. Home dairy farming in kenya dairy farming in kenya. Its appeal is that it allows cattle to consume fresh grass from fields that are too far away, or are separated by busy road, to be included in the grazing. In central kenya over 80 percent of dairy animals are kept under zero grazing staal et al. The sector accounts for 65 per cent of kenya s total exports and provides more than 70 per. In kenya, efforts to develop and disseminate this technology to smallholder dairy farmers have been on for over a decade. May 06, 2015 zerograzing is a higher cost system than conventional grazing, and will mean greater volumes of slurry to be spread. But shortly thereafter, the hiv rate began to plummet, and by the end of the decade it had fallen by almost two thirds. Many small scale dairy farmers in kenya are adopting zero grazing because of the several benefits associated with it. The following is the recommended housing plan for a small scale zero grazing unit. Indicators of poor welfare in dairy cows within smallholder.
However, it has the potential to produce high yields of leafy grass within a wellmanaged system. For example, among the samburu of kenya, the more distant pastures are under. An example for the farmers in kenya who have 2 6 cows and to generate an income for their families. Dairy production in kenya is divided into small scale and large scale with the small scale farming being the most popular as it constitutes 7080% of the total dairy subsector. Naturally, cattle are grazing animals and therefore pas. Effects of feeding practices on milk yield and composition. Dairy cattle in kenya are commonly reared under three production systems. Getting superior napier grass to dairy farmers in east africa 3 dairy farming, kenyas leading livestock sector activity, is vital for the livelihoods and food security of millions of kenyans. Zerograzing to cut soil erosion in rwanda the east african. Zero graz grazing systems farmers graze cattle on private or ing stallfeeding is the common strategy of inten public owned pastures during the day and keep them sifying dairying.
An example for the farmers in kenya who have 2 6 cows and to generate an income for their. Kenya dairy development program the kenya dairy development program kddp is a usaidfunded programme implemented by land olakes in partnership with african breeders service total cattle management, international livestock research institute ilri and world wide sires. Rationale for livestock sector development strategy while the agricultural sector development strategy asds, was based on the agriculture and livestock policy of 1997, the government and livestock industry stakeholders elaborated a refined national livestock policy nlp of 2006 which. Higher sustainability performance of intensive grazing versus.
More than 80 per cent of milk produced and sold in kenya comes from smallholder farmers, typically raising just one or two dairy cows on small plots of. Generally, the benefits of this system include cows being confined, therefore using most of the energy from feeds for growth and milk production, enabling clean milk production, encouraging good calf rearing, proper manure collection. Pdf effects of floor characteristics on locomotion scores in dairy. Proper planning is, therefore, necessary before starting a zero. Extendinggrazing andreducing storedfeedneeds donball edballard markkennedy. Study design selection of study area, farms and animals the study was carried out on 64 smallholder dairy farms using zero grazing in mukurweini district and on an equal. Its an informative platform especially for starters like me. In kenya, smallholder zero grazing dairy units contribute about 80% of the national commercial dairy herd 12 and over 70% of all the marketed milk 16. Lets get to the point, milk production is influenced by these main factors. Whenusedinthismanner, theyprovidehighqualitygrazing. Amos njuguna milks five cows on 10ac in kitale, northwestern kenya. Used for many years in parts of mainland europe, it is currently used on only a small number of irish farms.
Recommended zero grazing housing plan written by maurice rangoma. How to start dairy farming in kenya and make it a multi. However, productivity was higher in higher potential areas and increased up the income quintiles. During data acquisition, farmers were asked why they chose a specific production method. A modern zero grazing unit can provide opportunities for herd expansion by increased forage utilization or through accessing land beyond cow walking distance for grazing. My simple, low cost and profitable zerograzing daily nation. Zero grazing uganda okurisiza hamwe stallfed livestock production is an efficient method to produce organic fertilizers manure for the conservation and improvement of soil fertility. Zerograzing has been a common livestock cattle and pigs management practice in most areas of southwestern uganda due to reduced communal grazing land. Pdf a crosssectional study was carried out within smallholder zerograzing dairy units in kikuyu district, kenya, to evaluate floor characteristics. Think commercially and know the maximum forage production potential of your farm holding and the potential amount of off farm forage available to your herd in a given year. Dairy farming, zero grazing, adoption, biprobit model.
Getting superior napier grass to dairy farmers in east africa. Farrowing and care of newborn piglets is a key aspect of pig production and you should aim for the sow to farrow as many times as possible with minimum piglet losses. For the small holder who wants to make the very best use of his crop land and to provide his cattle with good housing that will encourage high production, a zero grazing system is recommended. Introduction under the zero grazing system, cattle are confined in one place where feed and water are brought to the animals. The farm located about 15 kilometers from nakuru town kenya is in wendo sub location, ngesha farm near utugi pcea. Forage diversity and impact of grazing management on rangeland ecosystems in mbeere district, kenya lucid working paper series number. Pdf adoption of zero grazing and impact on livestock. Yes, it is a less rough way because the market is so big yet largely unsatisfied. This broadlybased integrated livestock development program which reflects the governments strategy for developing this subsector is designed. As a result, by the mid 1970s, grade dairy production in kenya had become.
Dairy farming in kenya silage making for smallscale. Zero grazing is a good system for keeping dairy cattle in densely populated, high potential areas, where land per farm family is small. How to construct an ideal zero grazing unit daily nation. Last year, rwandas agriculture ministry announced plans to cut soil erosion to zero by 2010. Inequality, drought and the deadly fight for precious grazing. Zero grazing dairy farming in kenya a farmer can preserve several feeds as silage such as sorghum, maize, napier grass, and sugar cane tops. This study investigated the effect of improved fodder plants and zero grazing dairy technologies on the performance of male and female smallholder dairy farmers.
The animals are housed and the farmers bring all the feed and water to the animals. Unlike ordinary farmers who combine grazing on pastures and animal feeds, the feedlots are zero grazing units that focus on animal feeds with the intention of fattening the animal, gakuo says. The times spent by the herd of camels on the various activities expressed as a percentage of their total time at pasture on a period basis are given in table 2. How fattening thin cattle brings us millions bizna kenya. If you have been following the market trends in kenya and reading inspirational stories like that of douglas kanja of eden farm and nancy karanja of sanla farm, you know that dairy farming is the business to go into if you want a rather less rough way into the millionaire club.
You goat to keep these animals, no kidding, theyre a. Corresponding author, peter njenga keiyoro phd abstract a study of the effects of burning on grazing resources was conducted from july, the savannah grasslands ecosystem of nairobi national park. Zero grazing has been a common livestock cattle and pigs management practice in most areas of southwestern uganda due to reduced communal grazing land. Zero grazing is a form of dairy farming where cattle are kept within housing structures. Animals feed freely on growing pasture in a designated area usually in paddocks. Livestock kenya recommended zero grazing housing plan.
On a recent dairylink visit, robin s cows had been indoors on zero grazed grass for five days and had just returned to grazing that day, but herd performance had remained stable throughout the change. To begin with, proper planning is necessary before starting a zero grazing system. The most common types of grazing systems are field grazing and confined feeding popularly known as zero grazing. Each of the kenyan smallholder zero grazing dairy units has 2 to 10 milking cows most of which are exotic breeds friesian, ayrshire, guernsey, jersey or crosses of these exotic breeds. Zero grazing dairy farming zero grazing is the practice of confining dairy cattle in a stall and feeding them there instead of letting them graze the fields. What are the merits of zero grazing over free range. The dairy farm is an initiative of mr kiringai kamau, a programme lead at the centre for agricultural networking and information sharing.
Variable % stall feeding zero grazing 67 use of artificial insemination 52 use of tick acaricide 71 cattle vaccinations 63 use of anthelmintics 89 use of private veterinary service 41 fodder mainly sourced from own farm 56 source. The cubicle of a dairy cow shed has three distinct areas. Aug 16, 20 this type of dairy farming in kenya is where cattle are confined in a shed where they are fed from. Zero grazing definition of zero grazing by the free dictionary. The current drought in northern kenya has deep roots in the current practices of pastoralists that need to be addressed, says conservationist david western failed rains have tipped the balance from poverty to starvation for 12 million in the horn of africa. According to hellen kamba, the farms manager, to achieve. Mastitogenic bacteria isolated from dairy cows in kenya. The proposed project constitutes the bulk of kenyas livestock development program for the next five years. May 03, 2017 inequality, drought and the deadly fight for precious grazing land in kenya this article is more than 3 years old arrival of hundreds of poor tribesmen seeking grazing lands for their cattle has.
Other animal husbandry activities such as animal health, are also carried out under zero grazing. Higher sustainability performance of intensive grazing versus zero. Not everyone has the same aptitude and skill in herding. She started out with two dairy cows but now has five. By padraig okiely, teagasc animal and grassland, research and innovation programme.
Zero grazing in kenya, take a look medilink vet suppliers. History and development of east africa agriculture climate and soils of east africa. Daily production is currently 22 litres per day on 3kg of concentrate with butterfat at 4. Livestock kenya pig housing plans for small scale farmers. Holistic grazing planning and reciprocal grazing agreements approach enhancing sustainable natural resource management in pastoralists dry lands areas contributors part 1. Adoption of zero grazing and impact on livestock keepers. According to dont lose the plot dltp a television program produced by the mediae company whose other productions include shamba shape up, onion farming can give you an income of of ksh 354,000 per acre this after deducting your expenses. Indigenous animals are hardy and adapted to the local environment. Nov 05, 2016 this video is about zero grazing nairobi, kenya. Better grazing practices hold key to kenyan droughts scidev. This type of farming inhibits movement of the cattle especially during grazing. The trick here is to make silage from the above when the forage is still green and of high quality. How to utilise the zerograzing system teagasc agriland. Zero grazing is a form of centralising all your cow husbandry activities such as feeding, watering, milking and health management.
May 01, 2015 zero grazing is a form of centralising all your cow husbandry activities such as feeding, watering, milking and health management. Nalunkuuma 20 revealed that gender male, herd size, number of family members going to school, and the number of small ruminants negatively impacted of zero grazing adoption in western kenya. A case of fatal competition over grazing land and water among the samburu and pokot in northwestern kenya chapter pdf available april 2014 with 185 reads. Zero grazing housing plan the cubicle of a dairy cowshed has 3 distinct areas 1.
Zero grazing is the practice of confining dairy cattle in a stall and feeding them there instead of letting them graze the fields. New perspectives on sustainable grazing management in arid. It describes the various responses of farmers to zerograzing and presents a. Bachelor of science dryland agriculture and enterprise development programme course description level 100 kcu 100. The farm located about 15 kilometers from nakuru town kenya is in. Gakuo says while the product of dairy cows is milk and beef, for beef cattle the product is the calf. Here, the cows are fed in a feeding trough which is located within the shed and milked in a dairy with the calves being rared in the calf pen. It is for this reason that sows are confined in specialized pens to prevent trampling.
Adoption of zero grazing and impact on livestock keepers knowledge of cattle reproductive parameters in western kenya j nalunkuuma, h affognon 1, s w kingori 1, d salifu 1 and f k njonge 2 makerere university, p. An economic analysis of the impact of gender and other. The concept of rangeland carrying capacity in subsaharan. The zero grazing results in higher milk yields per cow 1530 litrescow. Why zero grazing no longer an ideal dairy production system recent research shows. Forage quality and camel feeding patterns in central baringo. Pdf adoption of zero grazing and impact on livestock keepers. Welfare of dairy cattle in the smallholder zerograzing production systems in nairobi and its environs j w aleri, j nguhiumwangi, e m mogoa and c m mulei department of clinical studies, faculty of veterinary medicine, university of nairobi, p. It is widespread in the kenya within the homestead at night. Zero grazing technology was introduced in kenya by the colonialists as a means to improve milk production bebe et al. Pdf a cross sectional survey questionnaire was administered in 520 livestock farms in kisii and bungoma counties of western kenya.
Lucid project international livestock research institute p. Productivity trends and performance of dairy farming in kenya stella wambugu, lilian kirimi and joseph opiyo wps 432011 tegemeo institute of agricultural policy and development p. A zero grazing system is where grass is mechanically mown and brought to cattle. In kenya, smallholder zero grazing dairy units contribute about 80% of the national commercial dairy herd and over 70% of all the marketed milk 16. The original manual was written by craig leggett leggett consulting, usa. Tips to a profitable modern zero grazing dairy enterprise. Complete guide on zero grazing housing designs in kenya. Piglets are mostly lost through death caused by trampling by the sow. Introduction in kenya, agriculture is the mainstay of the economy directly contributing 35 per cent of the gross domestic product gdp annually and another 25 per cent indirectly.
Kenya second livestock development project english abstract. Intensive commercial systems such as beef ranching on private and government farms, and zero grazing, but this constitutes less than 5% of the total production. Welfare of dairy cattle in the smallholder zerograzing. Jun 14, 2014 my simple, low cost and profitable zerograzing saturday june 14 2014 i used cheap eucalyptus poles to construct the roof and the only serious expense that i incurred was the iron sheets.
88 571 476 2 427 1414 475 634 1236 1456 746 266 1242 256 13 332 781 1174 1392 628 1235 947 1282 888 585 1461 905 1254 1265 1088 1011 367 1481 41 1310 1264 1474 627 123 448