Field schools for Kenyan dairy farmers

Currently over 1000 Farmer Field Schools (FFS) on integrated pest management (IPM) and/or integrated soil management are being successfully implemented in Kenya and many more in Africa as a whole. In 2001, the DFID/FAO project on Farmer Field Schools for livestock began adapting and testing the FFS methodology for animal health and production, focussing on smallholder dairy farmers. Ten pilot FFS have been established in five different agro-ecological zones in central, Rift Valley and coastal provinces of Kenya. This paper discusses the activities of the FFS, and looks into initiating FFS for livestock

Research that matters: Outcome mapping for linking knowledge to poverty-reduction actions

An 'Outcome Mapping' approach was applied retrospectively to five diverse, highly collaborative research projects aimed at poverty reduction. Designed to help plan for, clarify, and document intended and actual changes in behaviour, actions, and relationships of groups and organisations that directly influence a project's intended beneficiaries, Outcome Mapping enabled us to identify and describe the strategies and actions that played important roles in the innovations achieved. Successful strategies observed included the use of champions, jointly producing high-profile outputs that enhanced the status of local partners, multiple communication strategies, targeting ongoing policy processes, and strong emphases on and investment in capacity building

Development of nutrient management strategies based on mapping of nitrogen flows and balances in dairy production systems in Uganda

Knowledge of status of nutrient management in agricultural production systems is critical in the development of sustainable improvement options; however, in mixed dairy-crop systems in Uganda, which are gaining prevalence, the status of nutrient management is unclear. Nitrogen (N) being one of the most critical nutrients for agricultural production, studies were done to assess its management in Herding, Tethering, Fenced, Semi-intensive and Zero grazing dairy systems. Data were collected on transfers of materials to obtain N balances on basis of the farm as an entity (“Farm” balances) and for areas under a specific crop or crop mixture (“Cropping Area” balances). Nitrogen balances were mainly negative with positive “Farm” balances featuring only for Zero grazing (16–35 kg ha− 1 season− 1) and Tethering (12 kg ha− 1 season− 1) and positive “Cropping Area” balances only within the Tethering category (1 kg ha− 1 season− 1). Most inefficient utilization of N was within the Zero grazing category where the difference between the “Farm” and “Cropping Area” balances was 55 kg ha− 1 season− 1. Nitrogen input requirements into the “Cropping Areas” to off-set negative N imbalances were in the ranges of 207–2143 kg ha− 1 season− 1 of cattle manure equivalent to 6–60 kg ha− 1 season− 1 of urea

Conceptual, methodological and institutional issues in participatory livestock production research

This article discusses major issues that confront attempts to introduce participatory methodologies into livestock production research, based on experiences during two projects in East Africa, and interviews with researchers and others in the region. The extent to which research can be participatory is strongly influenced by the institutional contexts in which it is carried and used, and some of the institutions involved are briefly surveyed. The article then discusses conceptual issues; including the notion of degrees of participation, the underdevelopment of participatory research in livestock compared to crop science, and the reluctance of existing livestock science to deal with multiple-output systems. The relations between participatory research, whole-farm research and livelihoods research, and the role of economic analysis are also explored. Methodological issues at various points of the project cycle are discussed, including: the need to tailor methods to agreed objectives, the role of “PRA toolsâ€, the specific problems relating to participatory trials with livestock, and the role of on-station trials. Institutional issues such as funding procedures and timescales, and reward systems for researchers are generic to all participatory research, but they are perhaps felt more strongly in the livestock sector where they combine with livestock-specific issues

Going digital in agriculture: how radio and SMS can scale-up smallholder participation in legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification practices and technologies in Tanzania

Open Access Article; Published online: 14 Apr 2020In 2016, a study was conducted in Tanzania to assess the impact of radio and SMS in scaling-up smallholder participation in legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) practices and technologies. The study aimed to answer the following research questions: (i) does participation in the campaign enhance farmers’ knowledge of legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification practices and technologies? (ii) what is the impact of the campaign on the adoption of legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification practices and technologies?; (iii) does exposure to multiple ICT-enabled channels result in larger gains (in terms of knowledge and adoption) than exposure to only one channel? (iv) is it more cost-effective to use radio or SMS alone or use them in combination? The results show that both awareness and adoption are boosted if SMS supports radio campaigns. However, radio alone is the most cost-effective approach. Each dollar spent on the radio campaign results in 2.1 farmers that have adopted at least one new practice, compared with 0.5 farmers for SMS and 0.4 farmers for radio and SMS combined. Other factors were also important in facilitating uptake of legume-based SAI practices, such as gender, age, education and land size, but were not statistically significant when rated against the communication channels used

The effect of abrupt and frequent changes in forage quality on nitrogen balance in crossbred steers fed napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and barley straw

The effects on crossbred steer liveweight gain of alternating the same quantities of Napier grass and barley straw at five day intervals over a 40 day period was studied (Sanda et al, 1999. These animals lost significantly more weight (p<0.05) than animals on one and ten day frequencies of alternation and those receiving the same quantities of the two feeds mixed together at each meal. These responses could not be explained by differences in in vivo digestibility or intake. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that there are gradual changes in the rumen environment as animals adapt to the intake of a given forage and that, during this adaptive phase, nitrogen is not used efficiently, which could explain the poor performance. The main effect means (across 10-day period) for nitrogen intake, faecal and urine production, retention and apparent digestibility for animals adapting to Napier grass or barley straw is presented in a table

Maize as food and feed in intensive smallholder systems: management options for improved integration in mixed farming systems of east and southern Africa

Supported by the CGIAR System-wide Livestock ProgrammeAs systems intensify, crops and livestock become increasingly integrated. Forage from crops becomes a larger component of overall forage supply in small-scale systems. This paper integrates information from field trials, studying the effect of varying maize planting density, with modelling approaches to compare this with supplementation of maize stover, genetic improvement of stover digestibility and replacement of the maize crop with planted forage in east and southern Africa. Aggregate analyses for small-scale intensive (SSI) systems producing milk were carried out using a suite of models including CERES, CROPGRO, DRASTIC and ANORAC, scaling-up to regional level using GIS information. Increasing planting density increased the yield of thinnings, but decreased grain and stover yields. Model predictions of milk production from the thinnings and stover produced from one hectare of maize indicated that economic benefits to increased planting density could be achieved when the grain:milk price ratio was low, despite the negative effect on grain yield. Supplementation showed the greatest economic returns with small positive impacts on soil fertility and maize production. Replacing maize with planted forage inevitably increased milk at the expense of maize production. Again, for this intervention, grain:milk price ratios ranging from 0.19 to 2.88 across sub-Saharan Africa are likely to influence the decision of the farmer whether or not to trade milk for grain. Genetic enhancement of the digestibility of maize stover was found to have little impact on milk production because diets based on stover were deficient in nitrogen, preventing animals from benefiting from the increased energy supply resulting from digestibility increases. Other factors such as market access and stability, as well as individual objectives such as cash flow, food security and risk minimisation, were not explored in the present study but will influence household decisions. More complex analyses, accounting for these factors, may be required to predict adoption behaviour, however, the results of the study can be used to evaluate the potential returns to investment in research in the different areas using an economic surplus model