FEAST FOR DAIRY PRODUCTION

1. FEAST FOR DAIRY PRODUCTION Presented by Liyusew Ayalew, Gezahegn Kebede, Getu Kitaw, Fekede Feyissa

2. INTRODUCTION • Name of a village:GudinoJitu • Name of district: Ad’aWoreda • Country: Ethiopia • Number of households in survey area:approx 800 • Household size- Range 4 - 15 (Average 9.5) • Number of participants: 3 males and 2 females • Date: 14/3/2012 • Duration of FEAST survey : 3h 45m

3. Land size and percentage distribution of house holds in the village

4. General farming system Farm size • Farm size range - 0.5-5 ha • Average land holding - 2.75 ha. • Land holding for respondent farmers ranges between 0.5-3 ha (Avg. 1.75 ha)

5. General farming… Cropping seasons • Long rain season - covering from June to October Irrigation availability • Irrigation is available for 75% of the households in the village Labor availability • Labor is available in the form of family and hired labor • It is most required during peak farming time (August to January) • Labor is paid in cash (34 birr/day) and meal to be served with local brewery drink (Tela) together estimated to cost 16 birr/day. Thus the total daily cost per person is 50 birr. • Several people leave daily to the nearby city DebreZeit for non-farm related activities (to work in the nearby flower farms) and schooling. Remark: Critical labor shortage was reported during peak agricultural activities (August to January)

6. CROPS GROWN IN THE AREA

7. Generalfarming… Livestock Status

11. General farming… Cash/Credit availability • Not readily available • But there are two saving and credit associations • Need to be a member of that association to get credit • Tax rate is high Land availability • Since land for cultivation is in short supply no fallowing is practiced • Three cropping season per year using irrigation Input availability • All inputs (improved seeds, breeds for LVs, fertilizers, vet services and drugs, pesticides and herbicides etc.) are there but extremely short supply

12. Management of livestock species Animal management • All farmers do have housing/barn but the materials from which the house are built greatly vary (plastic sheet, corrugated iron and thatch roof while the floor is built from materials that range from soil, stone to concrete) • Generally crossbreds are used in a well constructed housing • Stall feeding is used for crossbreds • Open grazing is practiced for all other LVs spps • supplementation only used for draft and lactating crossbred cows • Have theoretical background about some of the feed processing practices but lack practical exposures (Chopping, urea treatment etc.) Veterinary service • Services is provided by local (Ethino vets), gov’t and private sectors. • Price requested by local is 10 birr/treatment; Private vets demand 50-100 birr depending the type and severity of the disease and gov’t vets charge 20 birr/treatment. • Private is easily accessible but expensive while gov’t service not easily accessible (on week ends) but relatively cheaper.

13. Management of livestock … Breed improvement • AI service not available at village level • AI technician available at woreda level but poorly utilized owning to: • Lack of transportations • Irregularities in liquid nitrogen • Price of AI service is 25 birr/cow • Rate of repeat service on average is 3 • No bull service using both local and improved bulls (formerly, 50-100 birr for improved bull service) Fodder crops grown • The major fodder crop grown is oats (Avena sativa) with an average of 0.25 ha per household. Napier is also grown but in very small portions of land.

15. NUTRIENT CONTRIBUTION FROM DIFFERENT FEED RESOURCES

18. Problems, issues, opportunities within the livestock system

19. Problems, issues, opportunities… Pair-wise comparison of major problems

20. Problems, issues, opportunities… Farmers rating of the most important problems

21. Thank you