Corrales, Roldan

Mena Urbina, Martin A.

Mora Benard, María Alejandra

Ojango, Julie M.K.

CGSpace

      Report on focus group discussions on cattle breeding in Matiguas and Camoapa municipalities, Nicaragua  Martin A. Mena Urbina1, Maria A. Mora Benard1, Roldan Corrales2 and Julie M. Ojango3  1CIAT, 2UNA, 3ILRI       www.livestockfish.cgiar.org November 2015     CGIAR is a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food secure future. The CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish aims to increase the productivity of small-scale livestock and fish systems in sustainable ways, making meat, milk and fish more available and affordable across the developing world.  The Program brings together four CGIAR centres: the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) with a mandate on livestock; WorldFish with a mandate on aquaculture; the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), which works on forages; and the International Center for Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), which works on small ruminants. http://livestockfish.cgiar.org    © 2015   This publication is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Licence. To view this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/. Unless otherwise noted, you are free to copy, duplicate, or reproduce and distribute, display, or transmit any part of this publication or portions thereof without permission, and to make translations, adaptations, or other derivative works under the following conditions:     ATTRIBUTION. The work must be attributed, but not in any way that suggests endorsement by the publisher or the author(s).   NON-COMMERCIAL. This work may not be used for commercial purposes.   SHARE ALIKE. If this work is altered, transformed, or built upon, the resulting work must be distributed only under the same or similar license to this one.       Introduction As part of the project that seeks to increase the productivity of dual-purpose cattle in Nicaragua through use of appropriate breed types and application of best husbandry practices (https://ilri-angr.wikispaces.com/ILRI-CIAT-BOKU+Project+-+Nicaragua), focus group discussions (FGD) were held in two sites Matiguas and Camoapa to consult and have farmers discuss issues of relevance in the breeding and reproductive management practices related to their cattle. The FGD also sought to identify constraints and opportunities in cattle breeding and management practices in order to inform possible intervention strategies to help improve productivity at farm level. In Matiguas, the group consisted of 16 farmers, 2 women and 14 men, while in Camoapa the group was comprised of 17 farmers, all men. The farmers that participated in the FGD belonged to one of three categories based on the number of cattle they owned as follows: owning more than 50 animals (38% of the participants), owning 25-50 animals (46% of the participants), or owning less than 25 animals (16% of the participants).       1  Traits of importance in cattle reared The farmers identified which traits are important for them in bulls and in Cows as:  Traits of important in bulls Matiguas Camoapa 1. Large in size   2. With good temperament, not aggressive   3. Testicles need to be large in size and not pendulous as this was related to the capacity of a bull to produce semen (in the minds of many of the farmers, testicle size was seen to greatly influence the characteristics of the udder in cows sired by the bull)   4. The bull must come from a good parental line, with both its sire and dam having desirable characteristics  -- 5. No horns (polled animals) are desirable  -- 6. The bull needs to be active and have good libido   7. The bull needs to have a sturdy conformation as determined by the strength and stature of the front limbs of the animal  --  Traits of important in Cows Matiguas Camoapa 1. Large in size, able to produce offspring that will grow large and fetch a good price on the market if sold for beef   2. The animal must have good udder characteristics which include o Good teat size – long and soft to facilitate milking of the animal o No defects in the teats- no supernumerary teats, all 4 quarters in good condition   3. The cows need to have milk production potential of 8 litres per cow per day in the first lactation   4. The cows need to be young and agile  -- 5. The cows must come from a good parental line  -- 6. The cows need to have a regular reproductive cycle and present visible signs of heat (silent heats are not desirable)  -- 7. The cows need to be docile and not aggressive       2  Breeds of dairy cattle and the most important traits in the breeds The main cattle breeds kept by the farmers and the important traits for each breed are presented in Table 1 Table 1. Main cattle breeds kept by farmers and the traits of importance in each breed Breed of animal Traits of importance Number of farmers rearing the breed   Matiguas Camoapa >50% Brown Swiss & < 50% Brahman (Dual purpose Large body size  High milk yield Good adaptability to environment Does not fall sick easily Produces good male calves for fattening Has good grazing behaviour 11 men, 1 woman 14 men 75% Holstein &25% Brahman Good milk production Large body size Low incidences of mastitis Adaptable to environment Good temperament 6 men, 1 woman 17 men 75% Jersey & 25% Red Holstein Good milk production Good quality of milk—higher butter fat content Lower feed requirements Smaller body size 1 man  Holstein X Brown Swiss (with some minimal Brahman) Good milk and meat production Good size  13 Men Gir (Dual purpose) Large size of animal Fast growth rate Good muscling ability Has an early age at first  calving Good milk production Good temperament 2 men  75% Girolando & 25% Brown Swiss Good milk production Good size Good temperament Large size of animal 1 man  Simmental 50% x Brown Swiss 50% (Dual purpose) Good Size Good milk production  2 Men Indigenous Creole Not docile Very adaptable Small size Low milk production Good fertility  17 Men  The farmers noted that they did not know about productivity levels of other breed-types of cattle, and would be interested to learn about them.      3  Mating methods and replacement options Mating methods The use of Artificial Insemination (AI) as a mating method was known by all the livestock keepers in the groups, however only 4 of the farmers in Matiguas actually use AI. None of the farmers in Camoapa currently use AI, although 3 of them mentioned that they had used AI in the past. All the farmers noted that they still prefer to use bulls as illustrated in Figure 1. Those who used AI only use it for exotic and cross-bred animals. The farmers all kept their own bulls to serve their cows and it is not common for farmers to use a neighbours’ bull to serve their animals AI in Matiguas is mainly provided through projects implemented either by the government or through NGO’s, notably Alba Genetica. These farmers noted that six years earlier they had good experience with the use of AI through a project funded by Swedish International cooperation called FONDEAGRO.   Figure 1. Number of producers using AI vs Bull service   0102030405060708090100AI Bull Both AI & BullProportion of farmersType of service   4  Low adoption of AI within the two sites was generally due to challenges listed as follows:    Matiguas Camoapa 1.  High cost of AI Service  N/A 2.  Limited access to timely AI service –(In Matiguas farmers noted there was no capacity to provide timely AI as there was only one semen storage tank in the area. In Camoapa farmers noted that there were no semen storage facilities, nitrogen tanks were not available, and even if they were there was no source of nitrogen)   3.  Conception rates following use of AI are low   4.  Detection of heat in cows served using AI was very poor   5.  AI service providers were few and live long distances away from farms (mainly live in larger towns)   6.  Farmers did not see advantages of adopting AI and noted that service of their animals by their bulls was relatively “free”. (None had factored in all the costs involved in rearing and maintaining bulls)   7.  Limited knowledge on all the AI procedures and no skills in serving animals using AI. The farmers did not want to depend on others when it came to serving their animals, hence did not adopt AI N/A    It was evident that the farmers were aware of how AI could help improve productivity of their herds, and indicated that if the service was available, efficient and cost-effective, they would adopt and use AI. They would however need training in the practice of AI. In Matiguas, some farmers noted that they had previous negative experiences with the use of AI and would not readily give up on having a bull available on their farms to serve cows coming into heat.    5  The farmers noted that when using bulls 1. Bulls were efficient in detecting heat and all animals served generally calve down as anticipated 2. Bulls are cheap to use and no additional technical training is required by the herdsmen 3. The main cost is usually in purchasing of a good bull to use in a herd. 4. Once mature, bulls are generally retained to serve cows on the farms for 4-5 years 5. The farmers try to prevent inbreeding by using a different bull for mating young heifers  Decisions on which method of mating animals adopted by the farmers were generally made by the farmers in consultation with their spouse. The farmers did not find it a challenge to obtain new or replacement animals as most female animals reared were born and raised on their own farms. Young bulls were also readily available for purchase either from neighbouring farms or form farms in other municipalities. Farmers mainly learnt about cattle production and management through projects implemented by NGO’s. There was also some training provided through technicians working for dairy cooperatives.       6  Seasonal changes in rainfall and pastures against the times of calving Using seeds piled proportionately to reflect the magnitude of each factor, the participants mapped out the distribution of rainfall, pastures and the main calving periods within the two municipalities. Table 2 provides a representation of the output of the mapping exercise in Camoapa.   Table 2. Representation of mapping of rainfall, forage availability and periods of calving for Camoapa Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Rainfall pattern (Score 0-12) 5 5 3 0 6 7 10 10 10 12 6 6 Forage availability (Score 0-9) 6 5 5 3 1 0 0 6 9 9 9 8 Calving Score for number of calves born (0-3), multiplied by number of farmers (n) indicating calves born in a specific month 17 10 7 3 5 4 4 4 7 5 10 15  The tally for months when most animals calved as indicated by the farmers using proportional piling of seeds in relation to the rainfall pattern and availability of forage are illustrated in Figure 2 for Matiguas and Figure 3 for Camoapa.   Figure 2. Calving periods relative to rainfall pattern and forage availability adopted by livestock keepers in Matiguas 051015202530JanFebMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugSeptOctNovDecFrequencyMonthCalvingRainfallForrage   7   Figure 3. Calving periods relative to rainfall pattern and forage availability adopted by livestock keepers in Camoapa The main months for calving were from November to February in Camoapa, and November- December, February and April in Matiguas. The farmers strived to align calving to pasture availability as from January to June forage availability is a challenge. Farmers in Camoapa noted that prices of milk were lowest from April to August. These months were better for selling animals for beef production. Due to limits in space for rearing young animals, farmers in Camoapa sold weaners aged 10-12 months and weighing 100-120kg to other livestock keepers who would grow and fatten them for slaughter. Larger animals fetch better prices and when sold are sold to middle-men who then sell them for slaughter. The farmers noted that they need training to improve their skills and knowledge in pasture management and conservation in order to enhance the availability of high quality fodders for their animals. Diseases The main diseases noted by the farmers were: 1. Mastitis 2. Scours in calves 3. Milk fever 4. Retained afterbirth    051015202530JanFebMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugSeptOctNovDecFrequencyMonthCalvingRainfallForrage   8  Record keeping and types of records kept Farmers in Camoapa kept some written records on the general productivity of their herds as indicated in Table 3. Very few of the farmers kept records on individual animal performance as most of them indicated that they found the practice time consuming and labour intensive. They however noted that if the practice of record keeping was made easier and there were benefits from keeping records in addition to providing information on how much milk their animals produced, they would begin to practice record keeping.  Table 3. Types of records kept by farmers and the number of farmers indicating that they kept the records Types of records kept  Number of producers  Matiguas Camoapa Total milk production of herd  4 Birth dates of calves  8 Treatments for general herd, drugs given, condition being treated  12 Reproduction for individual cows  Service dates   Calving  9 Weight of milk for individual cows  1 Weight of calf at birth and each month until weaning at approx. 15 months of age (calf 120-150 kg)  1 Weight at weaning (15 months)  1         9  Constraint Summary A summary of the main constraints to dairy production in order of priority are presented as:  Main constraint identified and the underlying issues Land Labour Capital Knowledge and information  Other 1. Labour for rearing animals − Difficult to get good labour − It is expensive to hire labourers − Quality of work by labourers is often not very good − Farmers do not have the resources to pay for labour      2. Costs of production - Price of milk is low and inputs, notably labour are expensive - Prices of milk are not stable. In times when production is high (glut), lower prices are offered for milk produced - Price of milk is influenced by price of cheese in El Salvador. Mid-March to Mid-August, there is a glut in the supply of cheese, hence milk prices are low - Taxes are imposed on cooperatives for milk  putting at risk the operation of their milk collecting centers - No incentive from cooperatives through guaranteed prices for milk - No investments are made in adoption of new technologies      3. Feeding animals - Seasonality in forage availability—farmers do not practice forage conservation - Knowledge on forage conservation methods is limited      4. Policies are needed to support investment to increase dairy productivity       5. Diseases indicated earlier      6. Other challenges - Sometimes, notably in the dry season, calf mortality is a little higher than normal - Prices of calves for fattening are very variable as the yearlings are sold through middle-men who set a farm gate price.       

Report on focus group discussions on cattle breeding in Matiguas and Camoapa municipalities, Nicaragua

https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/10568/69478/4/Report_FDG_Nicaragua_2015.pdf

Report on focus group discussions on cattle breeding in Matiguas and Camoapa municipalities, Nicaragua

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