Mwendia, Solomon

Ohmstedt, Uwe

Peters, Michael

English

Mwendia, Solomon W.

CGSpace (CGIAR)

Maziwa Zaidi (More Milk) in Tanzania: Best-bet Technologies and Innovations Cash from Brachiaria and Rhodes grasses hay productionSolomon Mwendia, Uwe Ohmstedt and  Michael PetersKey messages and solutions• Improved forage grasses to improve cattle feed quality and quantity• Demand for animal source foods to double by 2050 cascading demand to improve livestock productivity• Between 55 -70% of the costs in livestock production are feed and forages related • Forage deficits due to seasonality best bridged with forage conservation – hay, Silage• These products and especially, hay possible to be traded in the market important to address on nutrient qualityOpportunities and benefits• Self employment for youth and women especially in groups -through production and sale of hay• Farmer dairy cooperatives can produce hay for sale to members and beyond • Owners large land  with possible mechanization in forage production• Livestock numbers are increasing as well as human population raising the demand for animal product raising demand for livestock feeds and forages • Does not require heavy initial investmentsPicturesSuitability• Functioning of forage seed systems for ease of access by the hay producers• Brachiaria  requires > 800mm annual rainfall for good performance• Rhodes requires > 600mm annual rainfall for it to performEvidence• For forage business though hay production, work elsewhere in east Africa shows you need to cultivate at least 4 acres• The net income (NI) of USD 1400 – 2590 per acre for Rhodes grass with gross margin of 52 -54% is possible• Brachiaria Net Income of USD  7,500 per acre with gross margin of 64% is possible • Since the grasses can be maintained over several years , there is need to observe soil fertility amendments, while maintaining the fields weed freeThis document has a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. October 2019March 2017Problem statement• Low livestock productivity due to nutrient under-feeding leading to low contribution to livelihoods• There need to increase livestock productivity  for incomes, nutrition and lower greenhouse gas emissions per unit livestock product - milk/meatMaziwa Zaidi thanks all donors and organizations which globally support the work of ILRI and its partners through their contributions to the CGIAR system

Maziwa Zaidi (More Milk) in Tanzania: Best-bet Technologies and Innovations / Cash from Brachiaria and Rhodes grasses hay production

https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/10568/107328/1/Brachiaria-Rhodes%20technologies-%20Solomon%20Mwendia.pdf

Maziwa Zaidi (More Milk) in Tanzania: Best-bet Technologies and Innovations / Cash from Brachiaria and Rhodes grasses hay production

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