Productivity and morphology of Ankole cattle in three livestock production systems in Uganda

Phenotypic characterization is critical in breed improvement and conservation. To determine the performance and morphological features of Ankole cattle in three livestock production systems (LPS) of Uganda, 248 farms were studied. Height at withers (HW), heart girth (HG), body length (BL), ear length, horn length (HL), distance between horn tips (HS) and body weight (BW) were then measured on 120 bulls and 180 cows. Data were analysed using LPS (crop livestock, agropastoral, pastoral), county (Gomba, Kazo, Kiboga, Mawoggola, Nyabushozi) and sex (females, males) as main factors. In the results, age at sexual maturity was 23.6 ± 0.5 months for bulls and 22.7 ± 0.5 months for cows. Age at first calving was 33.2 ± 0.5 months, whereas calving interval was 12.9 ± 0.8 months. Lactation length differed between LPS (5.5 ± 0.4, 6.3 ± 0.3 and 7.4 ± 0.2 months in agropastoral, crop livestock and pastoral, respectively). Mean daily milk off take was 2.2 ± 0.1 kg/cow whereas preweaning calf survivability was 90.0 ± 6.5%. Sex and LPS significantly influenced HW, HL and HS. Positive correlations were observed between BW and HG, BL and HL. Correlation coefficients were much lower in females than in males, except for BW vs HG and BW vs HW. Results show wide variations both in performance and morphology suggesting that within breed selection scheme and/or management improvement may lead to productivity improvements

Integrated termite management for improved rainwater management: A synthesis of selected African experiences

In eastern Africa, termites are perceived by farmers, livestock keepers, and many development agencies as serious agricultural pests that destroy pasture, crops and wooden infrastructure. Commonly use control measures have proven to be ineffective. When the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) undertook research aimed at increasing agricultural water productivity in eastern Africa, termites destroyed early experiments designed to rehabilitate degraded land and increase water productivity. Building on indigenous knowledge from termite affected regions of Ethiopia, the CPWF and Uganda partners initiated research on integrated termite management. Results were promising. This literature review was commissioned to capture the state-of-knowledge about termite taxonomy, and diversity, farmers’ ethno-ecological knowledge of subterranean termites and termite management practices and control measures used in African crop and rangeland production systems. The paper offers some general lessons and guidelines for future agricultural research and development programs where termite damage is problematic. In brief, we conclude that ITM offers greater prospects for enabling termites to play important positive roles in agro-ecosystem functioning while reducing the damage they inflict on crop and livestock production

Opportunities for increasing livestock water productivity in the Nile River Basin

Livestock keeping in the Nile Basin contributes greatly to human security, income, culture and agricultural gross domestic product (GDP). Inappropriate livestock management uses excessive water and causes water and land degradation. Livestock-water interactions are complex, not well understood, and often ignored in agricultural water development. This results in lost opportunities to achieve sustainable and higher investment returns. Typically, livestock management also ignores important livestock-water issues. This lack of integration creates knowledge gaps resulting in inefficient and inequitable use of water resources. This paper summarizes selected research findings on livestock-water productivity (LWP) in the Ethiopian Blue Nile Highlands, Uganda‟s Cattle Corridor, and the Central Belt of Sudan. It suggests selected intervention options to increase LWP, improve livelihoods and reduce land and water degradation. Overall, LWP compares favorably with crop-water productivity. Yet, huge opportunities remain to further increase LWP potentially enabling more agricultural production and support for ecosystem services without depleting additional water. Four strategies to increase LWP are selection of animal feeds derived from plant materials with high crop water productivity, improved water conservation through better management of watering sites, vegetation and soil on grazing, crop and riparian lands, adoption of technologies to improve animal health, genetics, nutrition and husbandry, and strategic allocation of watering sites to adjust grazing pressure to sustainably match the spatial distributions of pasture and drinking water availability. Implications and opportunities for benefit sharing, IWRM, and poverty reduction in the Nile Basin are discussed in the context of the Ethiopian, Sudanese and Ugandan case studies

Nile Basin livestock water productivity

PN37 (Increasing Water-Use Efficiency for Food Production through Better Livestock Management - The Nile River Basin) set out to improve food security, reduce poverty and enhance agroecosystem health by managing livestock for more effective overall use of water. PN37 responded to water challenges posed by the CPWF, to the Nile Basin Initiative’s goal of better sharing benefits of water use, and to global need for the livestock sector to use agricultural water more efficiently and effectively. PN37 identified opportunities to increase livestock water productivity (LWP) in key production systems of Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. In all countries and systems, the research revealed important opportunities to increase LWP through site-specific sets of interventions including improved feed sourcing, enhanced animal production, water conservation, and strategic provisioning of drinking water. It concludes that better integration of livestock, crop, water, and land management can sustainably enhance livelihoods of many poor people throughout the Nile Basin and beyond that across much of sub-Saharan Africa

Effect of dried Gliricidia sepium leaf supplement on feed intake, digestibility and nitrogen retention in sheep fed dried KW4 elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) ad libitum

A feeding experiment was conducted to study the effects of supplementation with dried Gliricidia sepium leaves on dry matter (DM) intake, digestibility and nitrogen retention in sheep fed KW4 elephant grass. Four mature rams were fed elephant grass ad libitium supplemented with four levels of gliricidia leaves (0, 4, 8 and 12 gDM kg-1wt day -1) in a 4x4 Latin swuare design. Supplementation with gliricidia leaves decreased elephant grass DM intake (g DM day-1 or g DM kg-1 BW 0.75 day -1). However, the effect of supplementation of total DM intake of the rations was not significant (P>0.05). Total crude protein intake significantly (P<0.001) increased with increasing levels of gliricidia supplementation. Total DM digestibility and body weight changes were significantly (P<0.05) improved by gliricidia supplementation; with the highest digestibility coefficient (60.5) improved by gliricidia supplementation; with the highest digestibility coefficient (60.5 percent) and body weight gain (89.3 g/day) obtained at 8 g DM kg -1wt day -1. Gliricidia supplementation significantly (P<0.001) improved nitrogen intake, absorbed nitrogen and retained nitrogen but with no significant difference at 8 and 12 g DM kg -1wt day -1 level of supplementation. The highest efficiency of N retention by sheep (44.9 percent) was obtained at 8 g DM kg -1wt day -1 level of gliricidia supplementation. The results indicated that supplemention of KW4 elephant grass with small quantities of gliricidia leaves up to 8 g DM kg -1wt day -1 enhance utilisation efficiency of the total ration. Further increases in the level of gliricidia supplementation, under the conditions of this experiment, reduced the intake of elephant grass leading to substitution effects of the basal

Contribution of integrated catchment and surface water management to livestock water productivity in pastoral production systems

Seasonal water fluctuations both in quality and quantity negatively affect livestock production and subsequently reduce livestock-water productivity (LWP) in rainfed pastoral production systems. This study aimed at assessing the effects of improved catchment and surface water management on LWP and to establish whether the effects of integrated catchment and surface water management are additive, synergistic or counteractive. Three pastoral production systems of Uganda (settled, semi - settled and non - settled) were considered under three management interventions (improved catchment management, improved surface water management and integrated catchment and surface water management) taking the base scenario as a control. Beneficial livestock outputs (p = 0.155), depleted water (p = 0.76) and LWP (p = 0.488) were not significantly different across production systems but were higher in settled and least in non - settled production systems. Improving catchment management increased LWP by 180%, 458 % and 142% while improving surface water management increased LWP by 62%, 165% and 60% in settled, semi - settled and non - settled production systems. Integrated catchment and surface water management increased LWP by 353%, 518% and 280% in settled, semi - sett led and non - settled production systems respectively. The effects of practicing integrated catchment and surface water management were hence synergistic and not additive. There exists a great potential for improving LWP in water stressed pastoral productio n systems of Uganda by reducing the amount of water depleted in production of animal products through practicing integrated catchment and surface water management interventions as well as increased utilization of crop residues in livestock feeding

Body weight changes and reproductive performance of crossbred cows fed maize-lablab stover ad libitum and supplemented with graded levels of lablab hay

Twenty-four multiparous Zebu × Friesian crossbred cows, were fed maize-lablab stover as basal diet and allocated to four graded levels of lablab hay (0%, 0.4%, 0.8% and 1.2% BW) treatments in a study to investigate effects of levels of lablab supplementation on body weight changes and reproductive performance. Supplementation during the first 60 days post-partum resulted in reduced weight loss (p<0.05) of the cows from -82.9 g/day to a gain of +7.1 g/day. Mean interval from calving to first post-partum ovulation improved by 19.4% but the supplemented treatments were not significantly different. Intervals from calving to first observed post-partum oestrus averaged 51 (range, 43-60) days and decreased (p<0.05) with increasing levels of lablab supplementation. Calving to conception interval was highest (95 days) for unsupplemented treatment and was reduced by supplementation although the supplemented diets were not significantly different. For optimum reproductive efficiency, it was recommended that crossbred cows fed ML stover should be supplemented with lablab hay at 0.5% BW but required additional energy supplements to meet the ME requirements for maintenance, milk production and reproductive efficiency