Byenkya, S. G.

Grimaud, P.

Sabiiti, Elly N.

English

University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky UKnowledge International Grassland Congress Proceedings XXI International Grassland Congress / VIII International Rangeland Congress Improved Forage Seed Availability in Southern Uganda P. Grimaud CIRAD, France S. G. Byenkya NARO, Uganda Elly N. Sabiiti Makerere University, Uganda Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc  Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/21/14-1/50 The XXI International Grassland Congress / VIII International Rangeland Congress took place in Hohhot, China from June 29 through July 5, 2008. Proceedings edited by Organizing Committee of 2008 IGC/IRC Conference Published by Guangdong People's Publishing House This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant and Soil Sciences at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Grassland Congress Proceedings by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact UKnowledge@lsv.uky.edu. 　 Multifunctional Grasslands in a Changing World 　 Volume Ⅱ 　 瞯 ]579　 瞯Grasslands/Rangelands Production Systems——— Seed Science and TechnologyImproved forage seed availability in southern ugandaGrimaud P . , CIRA D‐ES / ACSS Pro ject PO Box 7212 , K ampala , Uganda ; grimaud＠ cirad .f rByenkya S .G . , NA RO‐ZARDI , PO BOX 12 , Mbarara , UgandaSabiiti E .N . , Makerere Univ . , Fac . o f A griculture , PO Box 7062 , K ampala , UgandaKey words : Uganda , grasslands , forage seeds , farmers摧 association , input shopsIntroduction Feed shortages and poor quality of available feed are the major constraints to increased livestock productivity inUganda . Increases in animal productivity can be achieved through an improvement of pastures and rangelands , whose quality isnot rich enough to meet the requirements of high potential dairy cows . Improving an existing land or sowing a new pasturerequires a reliable source of seed or vegetative material of species that farmers can find only through remote and privatecompanies , who sell expensive imported seeds from large‐scale Kenyan commercial tropical pasture seed production farms . Thisissue of improved forage seed availability has been identified in the frame of ACSS ( Agricultural Consultation and SectorStructuring ) Project ( Grimaud et al . , ２００４ ) , funded by the French Development Agency with the objective to support theformation or the strengthening of dairy farmer organizations .Materials and methods Through a MoU between ACSS Project and NARO ( National Agricultural Research Organization) , thesurface of the NARO stock farm was increased while some seed farms were installed , selected with the farmers摧 associationsdealing with the French Project in Mbarara region , the main Ugandan milk basin . On both the NARO stock farm and onprivate farms , two grasses ( Pennisetum purpureum and Chloris gayana) and four legumes ( Dolichos lablab , Sty losanthesguyanensis , Centrosema pubescens and Macrop tilium atropurpureum ) have been sown . In addition , seedlings of shrubs havebeen distributed to the farmers , mainly Calliandra calothy rsus . This operation has evolved as an extension of DrylandHusbandry Project which established cooperative relationships with some Chloris gayana seed multipliers in pastoral areas ofthe region ( Sabiiti et al . , １９９９ ) . Cooperative input shops , that have been installed within the associations , might now allowseed producers to distribute their products to other farmers .Results and discussion Seven seed production gardens are now productive , with farmers in a position to sell or to distributeimproved forage seeds to other farmers , seed companies or national and international projects desiring genetic materials . Strongrelationships formed with NARO and University allow farmers access to new materials and information , first through thefodder bank , but also thanks to some initiatives funded by the French project . Results of this project include : ( i) a workshoporganized on the NARO station to tackle the different aspects of pasture establishment and management , and ( ii) a tour of aKenyan milk basin , where productive dairy farming systems are dependant on grass , progresssive farmers , scientists andextension services from Mbarara region . Ten cooperative input shops set up in this zone are strongly linked with the milkcollection activity . The system encourages farmers to access good quality inputs . The tuition costs of these input shops arededucted from the farmer摧s milk sales at the end of the period . This very successful pilot action in remote locations has highpotential to spread throughout the Project area as it provides several conveniences : ( i) w idening of the cooperatives摧 range ofservices , ( ii) increased incomes , and ( iii) creation of permanent jobs in rural areas .Conclusions Installation and maintenance of the seed gardens are extremely labor‐intensive , high in cost . Consequently , farmerscannot always afford to establish these gardens . The sustainability of the operation depends on the maintenance of the gardens ,and farmers must earn money from the seeds sale to maintain their gardens . That is not yet completely effective and there isneed to make this operation better known by the potential customers , farmers , seed companies and stock farms . The support ofa strong partnership is recommended along the commercial commodity chain , from upstream ( research organizations to maintaina fodder bank and to train the farmers) to downstream ( seed customers) .ReferencesGrimaud P . , Faye B . , Mugarura L . , Muhoozi E . , and Bellinguez A . , ２００４ . Identification of research activities for the dairysector development in Uganda : systemic and participatory approaches . Uganda Journal o f A gricultural Sciences , ９ , ８７９‐８８４ .Sabiiti , E . N . , Tizikara , C . , and Nampala , M . P . , １９９９ . Sustainable utilization of drylands ecosystems for livestockdevelopment . In : Proceedings o f the First National Dry land Husbandry Pro j ect Workshop , K azo , Uganda , ８３ pp .

Improved Forage Seed Availability in Southern Uganda

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Improved Forage Seed Availability in Southern Uganda

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