Ndelilio A. Urio
Department of Animal Science and Production
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Morogoro, Tanzania
Summary
Background information
Diagnostic survey results on utilization of crop residues
On-farm research activities
References
A diagnostic survey was carried out in Hai district in northern Tanzania with the objective of identifying the main constraints affecting smallholder dairy producers. Based on the results, on-farm experiments were initiated and included the feeding of baled maize stover and bean haulms to lactating dairy cattle on smallholder farms. A molasses/urea mixture was supplied as an additional feed resource. Although the primary data have not yet been statistically analyzed, general observation shows an increased milk yield for those farmers supplied with crop residues as opposed to those without.
Hai district is one of the six administrative districts of Kilimanjaro Region in the northern part of Tanzania. Export-oriented agriculture, particularly the production of Arabica coffee, has contributed significantly in making the economy of the region the most highly developed in Tanzania (Mlambiti et al, 1982). Land is, however, a major constraint in the agricultural development of the region. Most farmers in Hai district, as well as in most of the other districts, own two farms; a small farm (0.5 ha) on the mountain slopes and a second farm (1.5 ha) on the lowlands. Traditionally the farmers have their homesteads on the highlands or mountain slopes, where, in addition to growing coffee and bananas, they also keep a few livestock, particularly cattle. The lowland farms are used mainly for the production of food crops, normally maize, beans and finger-millet.
In recent years dairy farming has become an important agricultural activity, especially in Hai district - a drastic change from the situation reported by Beck (1961). The popularity of dairy farming results from the need to diversify agricultural production, which was mainly coffee, as well as from the traditional appreciation of milk as a quality food. The shortage of land available for fodder production is a major constraint on the ability of the smallholder diary farmer in Hai district to improve his production (Tibenda, 1977; Eldesten and Lijongwa, 1981). Traditionally, farmers have used unconventional feeds such as banana pseudostems, banana leaves and fodder cut from along roadsides and river banks as well as limited fodder from established plots of grass, mainly Setaria spp, Guatamala grass (Tripsacum laxum) and elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum). In addition, farmers use crop residues from the lowland areas to feed their livestock. The significant role played by the residues as an important feed resource has long been recognized in Tanzania (French, 1943), and yet farmers still face a number of constraints on their efficient utilization.
In 1983, the Sokoine University of Agriculture (through IDRC sponsorship) initiated a project which aimed, among other things, to identify the major production constraints facing the smallholder dairy producer in Hai district and similar areas, and to devise methods to overcome some of them. Project workers are currently studying ways to improve the efficiency with which these dairy farmers can utilize crop residues.
A diagnostic survey carried out in Hai district in February/March 1984 confirmed the significance of crop residues as a feed resource for the smallholder dairy farmer. Most used both maize stover and bean haulms, although 10% of the sampled farmers used maize stover alone and 4% used bean haulms alone. All the farmers used at least one of the two types of crop residues. While 67% of the sampled farmers depended entirely on crop residues from their own farms, 33% supplemented these with purchases from other farmers. It was generally observed that the quantity of residues collected and transported was far below the farmers' requirements.
Shortage of transport coupled with the high cost of hiring transport has caused many farmers to depend on family and hired labour to head-carry the residues to their homesteads. Some farmers specifically singled out lack of transport as being the major cause for their failure to accumulate enough residues to meet their needs for the entire season.
A wide variation was observed in both the type of transport used and the sizes of the loads carried by head. In both cases the residues were transported loosely as there was no option for baling.
In 1984, attempts were made to improve both procurement and feeding of crop residues. This was done through:
* Baling the crop residues to reduce their bulkiness and hence the transport costs;* Feeding the baled crop residues with a molasses/urea mixture with the aim of improving voluntary feed intake as well as supplying energy and NPN.
Baling was carried out using a conventional John Deere hay baler model 342 A. Although this type of machine is not technically designed for baling such materials as maize stover or bean haulms, it was possible to bale these residues effectively by hand feeding them into the baler. On average, it was possible to bale 33 bales/in and 50 bales/in of maize stover and bean haulms respectively. Efficiency improved to 125 bales of bean haulms/h the following season. Materials for baling were obtained from school farms, private farms and cooperative farms. The baled crop residues were transported and supplied to farmers and the costs were computed per bale and charged to farmers.
On average, baling reduced bulkiness by more than 300%. Bulkiness significantly affects transport costs as charges are normally based on truck loads or head-loads. The reduction in bulkiness is also important in allowing better use of storage space. The price charged per bale was Tz shs 7.00, which took into account baling and transport costs, and compared with the market price of Tz shs 20.00 to 25.00 per bale of maize stover and Tz shs 30.00 to 35.00 per bale of bean haulms.
Baling of maize stover using a standard baler, however, appears to be an inappropriate technology, especially for the smallholder dairy farmer. For this reason, the use of manually operated hay binders is being sought as an alternative technology. These will be tried under normal farming conditions and if effective, would appear to be more appropriate and could be more easily adopted by the small-holder dairy farmer. They could perhaps be used not only for baling crop residues but also for baling hay from the lowland areas which has hitherto been transported loosely and at high costs.
The molasses/urea mixture was obtained from a sugar cane processing factory about 20 km south of Moshi town. FAO (through UNDP dairy cattle development project URT/81/016) constructed a simple molasses/urea mixing plant at the sugar factory which became operational in 1984. The plant produces a mixture. of molasses containing 3% urea. A distribution network has also been established and selected villages have become collection centres where tanks, each with a capacity of 10 000 litres, have been constructed. These molasses/urea centres became operational at the same time as baled crop residues were being introduced to farmers.
Two test villages in Hai district were selected for on-farm feeding trials. Ten farmers were selected in each village. Five of the selected farmers in each village were provided with baled crop residues and the molasses/urea mixture, while the remaining five formed the control group. As farmers had been using crop residues before, the only additional innovation was the provision of an adequate supply of baled residues, which could last a longer time, and the supply of the molasses/urea mixture. Farmers were given demonstrations on how to dilute and mix the molasses/urea mixture with the crop residues. Approximately 2 kg of molasses/urea mixture was used per cow per day. The crop residues were simply included in the farmers daily feeding pattern. A typical feeding pattern is shown in Table 1.
Under normal feeding management there is a wide variation in the quantity of forage offered per cow per day. This variation is caused by many factors, including availability of the forages and the availability of labour to cut and head-carry forages from the lowlands. The availability of a steady supply of roughages in the form of the baled crop residues was expected to increase milk yield. Previously the animals were underfed and the lack of sufficient forages has been reported to contribute significantly to the low milk production among smallholder dairy farmers in Hai district (Tibenda, 1977; Edelsten and Lijongwa, 1981).
Table 1. Typical feeding pattern of stall-fed dairy cattle among smallholder farmers in Hai district.
|
Types of roughages fed | ||
|
Morning |
Noon |
Evening |
|
Banana leaves |
Maize stover |
Grass cut from lowlands, river banks and/or roadsides, |
The farmers' previous milk yield records, although in most cases scanty, together with the records from the control group, will be used as bench marks for assessing the impact of a steady supply of crop residues in the feed. Farmers were provided with data sheets for recording and monitoring milk yield in relation to the feeding regime. The monitoring and recording was carried out by the research team, livestock extension staff and the farmers. Although the data from these feeding trials have not yet been analyzed statistically, there appears to be a notable increase in milk yield on all the farms supplied with the crop residues. It must be pointed out, however, that the results of the on-farm trials require careful interpretation. Before any conclusions can be drawn, the data from the previous seasons must be compared in general terms with the data obtained from this season as well as those obtained from a research farm.
One additional crop residue which has been identified this season is bean haulm chaff. This consists of small broken particles of bean pods as well as broken and small bean seeds which pass through the sieving screens. In the diagnostic survey it was observed that a limited number of farmers use this product, which is mainly obtained free of charge from commercial farms in the West Kilimanjaro area. The major constraint to its use is transportation. The dusty product has to be filled in bags and transported by lorries. It is likely, however, to have a much higher nutritive value than bean haulms and may prove a very valuable feed resource, particularly when mixed with molasses. This crop residue is being included in the on-farm feeding trials this season, both at farmer level and on the research farm.
Beck R S. 1961. An economic study of coffee-banana farms in the Machame central area, Kilimanjaro district, Tanganyika. Special report published by USAID Mission to Tanganyika. Dar-es-Salaam.
Edelsten P and Lijongwa C, 1981. Utilization of low quality roughages: economical consideration in the Tanzanian context. In: Proceedings of international workshop on utilization of low quality roughages in Africa. Eds. Kategile et al. Lamport Gilbert Printers Ltd. Reading, UK.
Mlambiti M E, Edelsten P and Coyler D, 1982. Economic analysis of the traditional farming systems of the Kilimanjaro Region Tanzania. IAF Publication No 85. University of West Virginia, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
Tibenda J J. 1977. A survey of dairy cattle feeds on smallholder dairy farms in Moshi and Hai districts of Kilimanjaro Region. Special project report (BSc Agriculture). Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.
