Mwendia, Solomon W.

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§ Leads to increased feed intake and minimal forage refusals § Get better feed conversion efficiency- the animal takes less dry matter and produce more milk compared to natural grass and crop residues§ Milk production increased by  15% when Cobra forage hybrid grass is fed compared to farmer practice (FP)§ When animals are taken back to farmer practice   from intervention feeding (IN) , milk production fell by 18%§ Cobra can be fed as green chop or dried hay. Hay can be stored for feeding during dry season or sold for household incomeFeeding improved forages increases milk production in cattle under smallholder farmsPOVERTY REDUCTION, LIVELIHOODS & JOBSPartners• Tanzania Livestock Research Institute• Ministry of Livestock and FisheriesOutcomesThe CGIAR Research Program on Livestock thanks all donors & organizations which globally support its work through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund. cgiar.org/fundersThis document is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. June 2020A smallholder diary farmer feeding her dairy cow with Cobra hay during the trialContext• Livestock productivity in sub-Saharan Africa remains low, yet livestock play key role in household incomes and nutrition• Per capita milk consumption is growing in Tanzania and projected to be between 55-100 liters per person per year by 2022• Poor feeding is the greatest contributor of the dismal animal performance• Feeding accounts up to 70% of the cost involved in milk production• Currently, roughages, the main diet comprise of natural grasses and crop residues often low in nutrients especially energy and protein vital for good animal performance• We set to demonstrate that use of improved forages can increase milk production compared to farmers usual practice in southern highlands of Tanzania .• We used smallholder dairy cows under their contextOur innovative approach• Feeding Brachiaria hybrid –Cobra to lactating cows and compare to farmers’ practiceFuture steps • Awareness creation and dissemination linking with development partners• Contribute to development and improvement of Tanzania forage seed system involving private and policy makers• Address challenges that may rise i.e. forage pests and diseasesSolomon Mwendia, CIATs.mwendia@cigar.org.Feeds and Forages01234567Week1Week2Week3Week4Week5Week6Week7Week8Milk yield (liters)Morning milkEvening milkFP FP:IN IN FP:IN FP

Feeding improved forages increases milk production in cattle under smallholder farms

https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/10568/109571/1/solomon.pdf

Feeding improved forages increases milk production in cattle under smallholder farms

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