Browsing by Author "Kabi, F."
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Item Cattle management practices and milk production on mixed smallholder organic pineapple farms in Central Uganda(Tropical animal health and production, 2016) Nalubwama, S.; Kabi, F.; Vaarst, M.; Smolders, G.; Kiggundu, M.A longitudinal study to assess animal management practices and milk production was conducted for a period of 12 months on 30 smallholder farms keeping dairy cattle and certified organic pineapple production in Luwero and Kayunga districts, based on questionnaire and on-farm collected data. Farm sizes were 9.3 ± 6.7 acres in tethering system and 4.3 ± 2.6 acres in zero-grazing. Fifty-four percent of the zero-grazing herds had animal housing facilities. All farmers in tethering system kept cows on earthen floors and calves without bedding. Hygiene level in existing farms was low. Majority of calves were fed once a day by restricted suckling (77 %). Seventy-four percent of tethered cows were only fed on natural grass, while cows under zero-grazing system had a more diversified diet but with 82 % feeding mainly Napier grass. Most farms (87 %) used bulls for breeding. Milk production was higher (P < 0.05) in zero-grazing (6.5 L/cow/day) than tethering system, and higher (P < 0.05) for Holstein- Friesian crossbred cows (5.2 L/cow/day) than local breed cows (2.6 L/cow/day). Less than 1 L of milk per farm per day on average was sold. Disease treatments were exclusively for helminths, East Coast fever, and trypanasomiasis. Spraying of ticks and deworming were important control measures of vector-borne diseases. There is potential to develop alternative feed resources for dairy cattle and biorational pesticides for control and treatment of vector-borne diseases.Item The Concentrate Feeds Supply chain in Uganda: emerging trends and implications on quality and access to smallholder farmers and chain efficiency(East Africa Dairy Development, 2013) Lukuyu, B.; Baker, D.; Baltenweck, I.; Poole, J.; Kabi, F.; Katongole, C.; Nadiope, G.; Byarugaba, A.; Kugonza, J.; Wabwire, R.The increasing effective demand for livestock products such as milk, meat and eggs in Uganda drives farmers to supplement their livestock with concentrates to improve on their productivity. In Uganda about 33% of the dairy farmers use compounded dairy concentrate feed while a sizeable percentage of households nearly 56% use feed ingredients such as maize bran and rice bran as straights (EADD, 2010). The annual production of compounded feeds by the commercial feed millers is estimated at about 75,000 tons with small scale mixers producing 40,000 ton (Graffham et al. 2003). In some areas farmers often supplement with compounded feeds aimed at maintaining the animals’ condition and sustaining production during the dry season (Lukuyu et al. 2009). However, Uganda is faced with serious problems related to availability of well formulated and balanced rations for adequate dairy cattle feeding. Despite an abundance of cereal grains and their by products such as maize and maize bran, sorghum, millet, rice bran and root crops (e.g. cassava) as energy concentrates as well as protein concentrates such as soybean, sunflower cakes, cottonseed cakes, peas and groundnuts, farmers have continued to lament about the high prices of commercial feeds and poor quality feeds (Nakiganda et al. 2005).Item Effect of supplementing steers with graded levels of concentrate on rumen environment and degradation kinetics of Chloris gayana hay(RUFORUM, 2016) Semwogerere, F.; Kigozi, A.; Kabi, F.In order to improve utilization of low nutrient and high fibrous pastures, which are common in the tropics, supplementation with concentrates having readily available nutrients is recommended to improve livestock productivity. Chloris gayana is one of the predominant grasses in the cattle corridor of Uganda. However, its low nutritional content constrains animal production by causing unfavorable rumen environment for microbes for forage degradation. This study investigated the rumen environment and degradation kinetics of Chloris gayana hay fed as basal at maintenance levels to steers supplemented with graded levels of concentrate. Four Holstein-Friesian castrated steers weighing between 400 – 800 kg live body weights were used in the determination of in sacco degradability. The basal diet composed of Chloris gayana hay was supplemented with graded levels of concentrate at ratios of 10%, 20% and 30% to form the three treatments. In the control treatment, steers were fed a diet of 100% hay. Chloris gayana hay was placed in nylon bags and incubated in the rumen of four fistulated steers for 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hour. The data were analyzed using SAS (1998). The crude protein (CP), Metabolisable energy (ME) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) of formulated rations significantly increased (<0.0001) with an increase in concentrate inclusion from 4.8 to 7.5%, 5.8 to 6.6MJ/KgDM and 6.8 to 7.9%, respectively. The acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and dry matter (DM) of the rations significantly decreased (P<0.0001) with an increase in the level of concentrate supplementation from 35.6 to 28.4%, 64.1 to 49.5%, and 92.8 to 92.1%, respectively. The highest effective dry matter degradability (33.86%) and organic matter degradability (33.9%) was observed at 20% inclusion level of concentrate into hay. Similar trends were observed for dry matter degradability at 48 hour (42.2%). The highest ME (5.8MJKg DM) of hay was obtained at 20% inclusion level of the concentrate into hay. The lowest ME (5.1MJKg DM) and DMD48h (37.4%) of hay were recorded at 0% concentrate supplementation. Subsequently, rumen pH (6.7) collected preprandial at 6:00h was closer to neutrality compared to the more acidic conditions of the rumen environment for the 0, 10, and 30% level of concentrate inclusion. Similarly, the highest level of ammonia concentration (89.3 (mg/L) was attained at 20% concentrate inclusion level. Supplementation of Chloris gayana hay based diet with concentrate up to 20% inclusion level not only improved rumen environment but also rumen degradability and ME extracted from the hay.Item Improvement of Manure Management for Crop Production in Central Uganda(Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 2010) Zake, J.; Tenywa, J. S.; Kabi, F.Manure management practices in sub-Saharan Africa vary depending on the importance smallholder farmers attach to its use as a soil amendment. Cattle manure, which is the primary on-farm manure resource, is generally of low quality due to poor manure management practices. The objective of this study was to improve cattle manure quality on-farm in terms of plant nutrient conservation and enhancement. The study involved two cattle management systems, namely intensive (IS) and semi-intensive (SEI). The study involved eight smallholder farms selected through purposely random sampling and were treated as replicates. The farms were located in Lukwanga parish, Wakiso district, Central Uganda. Each farm under the IS had an average of two heads of mainly Friesian breed of cattle whereas those under the SEI system had an average of three heads of local breed cattle. Other variables include seasonal changes and manure management practices (including farmers practice and improved management practices). Composted manure from both practices was applied at rates of 0 and 2.5 t ha−1 in a field experiment conducted on the same eight smallholder farms as replicates to evaluate performance using Longe 1 maize as the test crop. Cattle manure quality was significantly (p < 0.05) superior during the wet season to that of the dry season in terms of total organic carbon (OC), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K+). In both seasons, the IS manure quality was consistently higher (p < 0.05) than that of SEI irrespective of the season. Furthermore, the IS generated more manure (p < 0.05) per cattle unit than its SEI counterpart irrespective of the season. The manure from improved management practices, which involved collection of cattle dung every day and heaping it under the shade of a tree until enough material accumulated to enable its preparation for crops, performed considerably better (p < 0.05) than the farmers’ manure management practice in terms of cattle manure quality. Under the IS and SEI, the improved manure management practice was greater by 48% and 55%; 36% and 21%; 42% and 52%; 67% and 44% for total OC, total N, total P, and total K+, respectively. Improved manure management practices increased maize grain yields significantly by (p < 0.05) by 10% and 18%, respectively, compared with that generated from farmer’s manure management practice under IS and SEI. A similar trend was noted for maize dry matter yields from improved cattle manure applied at rates of 2.5 t ha−1 under both cattle management systems, hence a significant (p < 0.05) increase of 50% and 44% above the control treatment (no manure application) under IS and SEI, respectively.Item Knowledge and Perceptions of Smallholder Dairy Farmers of Cattle Disease Burdens in Selected Agro-Ecological Zones of Uganda(Uganda Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2012) Kirunda, H.; Kabi, F.; Muwereza, N.; Kabuuka, T.; Magona, J.W.; Lukwago, G.Diseases have continued to affect production and productivity in smallholder dairy farming systems in Uganda. This study sought to establish farmers knowledge and perceptions of disease burden in the Eastern Semi-Arid Zone (ESAZ), Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) and Western Rangelands (WR) agro-ecological zones (AEZs). A structured questionnaire was administered to 150 farm household heads or cattle attendants. Data analysis by cross tabulations was done using SPSS Statistical Software and descriptive statistics generated in XLSTAT. Linear Discriminant analysis and Multivariate Analysis of Variance were computed to establish significant relationships (P<0.05) between variables. East Coast fever (ECF), calf scours, foot rot, mastitis and fascioliasis were reported of high prevalence (>50%), while brucellosis and eye infection had low prevalence (<16.7%). Season, age and breed of cattle were significantly associated with severity, morbidity, mortality and treatment costs in all AEZs. Morbidity and mortality were higher during the long (4.5; 0.7) than short rains (3.1; 0.6), respectively. Comparatively, average treatment costs were higher during the short rains (US$ 22) compared to long rains (US$ 17) each rains lasting three months. Results of our study show that some diseases were common to all AEZs, yet ESAZ had a higher disease burden than WR and LVB.Item Opportunities and challenges for integrating dairy cattle into farms with certified organic pineapple production as perceived by smallholder farmers in Central Uganda(Organic Agriculture, 2019) Nalubwama, S.; Kabi, F.; Vaarst, M.; Kiggundu, M.; Smolders, G.A study was conducted in 2013 to assess opportunities and challenges of integrating dairy cattle into organic pineapple production in Uganda. Thirty organic pineapple farmers were interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire. The main dairy cattle management systems were tethering (73%) and zero grazing (27%). Average landholding was 1.74 ± 1.06 and 3.75 ± 2.70 ha for zero grazing and tethering systems, respectively. All farms were diversified with various livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens and crops including pineapples, maize, coffee, bananas, beans, sweet potatoes, and cassava. The level of integration of dairy cattle into pineapple production depended on the distance of crop fields from the livestock enterprises. More farms (83%) with pineapple fields closer (< 0.5 km) to the homesteads were able to use cattle manure as fertilizer compared to homesteads (50%) with more distant fields (> 0.5 km). The distance to the homestead did not influence 30% of the farmers who used crop residues for feeding dairy cattle. Farmers perceived cattle diseases and feed scarcity to be the major challenges in dairy farming. The sources of risk on the farms were perceived to be erratic rainfall, limited knowledge, and market for organic products. Majority of farmers (77%) expressed willingness to convert to organic dairy production. Availability of markets for organic dairy products (36%) and reduction of external input use (26%) were the main reasons for farmers’ willingness to convert. Integrating dairy cattle with pineapple production is an opportunity for closed nutrient cycles and income diversification. However, knowledge, access to inputs, and organized markets are needed as incentive for conversion to organic dairy production.Item Public-private partnerships for unlocking the potential of dairy cattle productivity in Uganda for improved livelihoods(Livestock Research for Rural Development, 2013) Kabi, F.; Bareeba, F. B.; Kwizera, M.; Walekhwa, P.; Prasad, V. D. S. R.; Raju, D. V. N.; Rubaramira, J.; Ssekitoleko, A.Complementary synergies between the private sector endowed with agro-industrial sugar cane molasses and university scientists equipped with scientific knowledge and skills were used to convert sugarcane molasses into a commercial dairy feed supplement. Scientists from Makerere University in partnership with Kakira sugar Works Ltd., Kakira Out-growers Rural Development Fund (KORD) and Dairy Development Authority (DDA) in a participatory manner tested the effect of molasses urea supplement (MUS) on dairy cattle productivity among zero grazing farmers. One hundred Friesian dairy cows were used to evaluate the effect of graded levels of MUS on milk productivity using four treatments: 1) Control, representing farmers’ dairy management practice without the MUS supplement intervention, 2) control + 0.5 kg/animal /day MUS 3) control + 1 kg/animal/day MUS 4) control + 2 kg/animal/day MUS. Data was analysed using polynomial contrasts with linear and quadratic functions. Adoption of the intervention was also tested among the zero grazing farmers to find how farmers embraced the innovation. Milk yield increased linearly with a quadratic trend. Increasing response in milk production at a decreasing rate suggested that MUS supplementation was optimal at 1 kg/animal/day. The dairy supplement has now been commercialized as “milk booster”. Adoptability analysis of the innovation indicated existence of variations in milk yield across different farms even when the farms were supplied with similar levels of supplementation of MUS. It was concluded that complementary synergies between public and private sector is crucial in translating science into tangible commercial molasses urea supplement for improved dairy cattle productivity in Uganda.Item Sero-prevalences of Tick-borne infections among the Nkedi Zebu and Ankole cattle in Soroti district, Uganda(The Journal of Protozoology Research, 2008) Kabi, F.; Magona, J.W.; Nasinyama, G.W.; Walubengo, J.This cross-sectional study was conducted to establish and compare the antibody titres and sero-prevalences of tick-borne infections among randomly selected Nkedi Zebu and Ankole cattle in the six villages of Akumoi, Aswii, Kamod, Osamito, Okokoma and Opungure in Soroti district, Uganda. The antibody titres were established using the indirect antibody detection ELISA tests. The Nkedi Zebu had a significantly higher mean antibody titre against T. parva infection (1.8 ± 0.1) compared to the Ankole cattle (1.2 ± 0.1). While the mean antibodies titres of Ankole against B. bigemina and A. marginale infections (2.2 ± 0.04, 0.05 ± 0.05) respectively were very similar to those of the Nkedi Zebu cattle (2.1 ± 0.05, 0.06 ± 0.05) respectively. Sero-prevalences of East Coast Fever, babesiosis and anaplasmosis (100%, 100%, 58%) among the Ankole cattle were quite similar to those of Nkedi Zebu cattle (99%, 100%, 57%) respectively. This study has demonstrated that the Nkedi Zebu are better primed to produce antibodies against T. parva as compared to the Ankole cattle, thus extra control strategies for tick-borne infections need to be instituted if the Ankole cattle are to be reared successfully in this agro-pastoral farming system.