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Stratified Livestock Production Adds Value to Pastoral Cattle: Evidence from the Drylands of Kenya
Abstract and Figures
In Africa’s pastoral production systems, the body condition of livestock declines during the dry season when grazing resources become scarce, resulting in lean animals that fail to meet terminal market requirements and therefore fetch low prices. In Kenya, stratified livestock production (SLP) systems in which cattle are purchased from pastoral areas and fattened in other areas where the conditions are more favourable for their growth, are increasingly being adopted. This study evaluated the existing SLP systems practised by ranchers, traders, and agro-pastoralists as options for improving the body condition and
market value of cattle produced in the arid and semi-arid pastoral areas. Data on the live weights of cattle at the time of purchase and sale, the costs of purchase and fattening, and the selling prices were collected for the period of January 2010 to June 2016. The results showed that the cattle fattened by the ranchers, traders and agro-pastoralists had average daily weight gains (± SD per animal) of 0.24 ± 0.07 kg (n = 601), 0.39 ± 0.13 kg (n = 240), 0.24 ± 0.08 kg (n = 140), respectively. In addition, the average net revenues (± SD
per animal) (in USD) for the ranchers, traders and agro-pastoralists were 61.7 ± 34.2, 81.3 ± 44.0, and 55.9 ± 36.6, respectively. The results imply that SLP is effective in improving body condition and market value of lean cattle from pastoral areas. The findings are expected to inform the development of pastoral cattle value chain in Kenya and other areas with a similar condition.
Keywords: Livestock fattening, Weight gain, Net revenue, Pastoral production, Marketing
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... Nevertheless, other forms of SCP have increasingly been adopted since 1999/2000, especially in the country's coastal region, where traders lease ranches to fatten pastoral cattle (Mahmoud 2006;Farmer and Mbwika 2012). This was triggered by the profitability of fattening pastoral cattle, which is approximately US$55À81 per animal (Dabasso et al. 2019). Three forms of SCP were being adopted À that practiced by ranchers, by traders and by agro-pastoralists. ...
Context
Stratified cattle production (SCP) systems, which involve buying lean animals from pastoral areas and fattening them in locations that have better production conditions, are re-emerging in Kenya’s drylands.
Aims
This study investigated how pastoralists in the drylands of Kenya endeavour to fulfil cattle marketing requirements under the SCP systems.
Methods
Purposefully identified cattle fattening entrepreneurs in Tana River (n = 10) and Narok (n = 12) counties were interviewed on the requirements they demand in buying animals from pastoralists. Using the information generated from the entrepreneurs, pastoralists (Tana River, n = 10; Narok, n = 12) were interviewed on how they respond to the entrepreneurs’ requirements and make sales. The information was triangulated with a focus group discussion in each county whose members were knowledgeable traders and pastoralists. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, randomly selected pastoral households (Tana River, n = 86; Narok, n = 69) were interviewed on cattle sales made through SCP systems.
Key results
The results showed that under the SCP systems, pastoralists in the two counties were required to sell cattle of particular qualities, comply with unpredictable supply orders, sell in secondary markets or near urban centres, use sale agents and undertake high commercial off-take rates if the demand arose. To meet these requirements, the pastoralists devised several strategies and practices, including changes in the animal husbandry practices, keeping ‘emergency’ animals in the home-based herds to comply with unpredictable demands, arrangements with market intermediaries to sell in secondary markets and building buyer–seller trust to facilitate sales through agents. In adopting these practices, pastoralists in both counties managed to sell approximately one or two animals per household through the SCP systems over a period of 12 months, which accounted for ~28% of the annual commercial cattle off-take from the households.
Conclusion
Pastoralists change their management practices in response to livestock marketing requirements and challenges, enhancing their integration into the market economy.
Implication
The information could guide stakeholders to formulate strategies for improving pastoralists’ involvement in cattle marketing through SCP systems.
Seasonal fluctuations in forage availability in African drylands significantly affect the body condition of pastoral livestock. The result is lean animals that, besides falling short of market requirements, often fetch low prices for producers. In Kenya's pastoral areas, stratified cattle production (SCP) systems in which animals are transferred from arid to semi-arid areas with better production conditions are emerging as an option to improve animal body condition prior to sale. These practices are gaining popularity against a backdrop of scarce information to guide both the development and up-scaling of the systems. Using qualitative data collected through face-to-face interviews, this study describes the existing forms of SCP, their driving factors and management practices for coping with production and market challenges. Results reveal three forms of SCP that involve fattening of Borana cattle, small East African Zebu and their crosses. The forms were practised by ranchers, traders and agro-pastoralists, who exhibit differences with respect to access to grazing resources, herd sizes and fattening periods. Ranchers owned grazing resources and fatten 100-120 cattle for 6-12 months while traders leased grazing resources to fatten 80-100 cattle for 6-8 months. Agro-pastoralists supplemented pastures with crop residues to fatten 20-30 cattle for 3-4 months. The adoption of SCP systems were driven by changes in socioeconomic and ecological conditions in the drylands of Kenya including an occurrence of drought and demand in terminal markets. Practitioners challenges included high costs of animal purchase and production, disease outbreaks and high marketing costs. In order to minimize costs associated with these challenges and maximize profits, animals are purchased during the dry season when prices are low, sale agents are used to source animals and bargain for prices, mature animals that requires a shorter fattening period are purchased, flexible grazing lease arrangements are followed and fattening periods are shortened when there is impending drought. This information could guide the development and promotion of SCP in Kenya and other drylands of Africa. ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Among the Turkana of north western Kenya, as well as in many other eastern African pastoral societies, cattle are not only a source of food but also an essential tool for a man to establish his own concepts of aesthetic and to visibly express his own personal identity and social relationships among his people. A Turkana man achieves these objectives by choosing a specific male cow and then modifying its external appearance with branding to permanent alter the coat, with a forceful modification of the growth direction of the horns, and with peculiar cuttings of the ear margins and dewlap. These modern-day practices are identical to the images of cattle present in numerous Neolithic rock art scenes over widespread geographical areas. This present-day Turkana custom may facilitate a correct interpretation of prehistoric rock art and help to understand the systems of thoughts, values and aesthetic perceptions of long-vanished prehistoric pastoral societies.
Nyabihu districts, Western Rwanda, aiming at estimating the prevalence of subclinical mastitis (SCM) and identifying its causative bacteria. Management practices and milking procedures were recorded through a questionnaire. 123 crossbreed milking cows from 13 dairy farms were randomly selected and screened for SCM using California Mastitis Test (CMT). Composite CMT positive milk samples were processed for bacterial isolation and identification. The overall SCM prevalence at cow level was 50.4%. 68 bacterial isolates were identified by morphological and biochemical characteristics. They included, Coagulase Negative Staphylococci (51.5%), Staphylococcus aureus (20.6%), Streptococcus species (10.3%), Bacillus species (10.3%), Streptococcus agalactiae (5.8%), and Escherichia coli (1.5%). About 67.1% of the farmers checked for mastitis; of these, 58.9% relied on clinical signs and only 6.8% screened with CMT. Only 5.5% and 2.7% of the farmers tried to control mastitis using dry cow therapy and teat dips, respectively. Thus, to reduce the prevalence of SCM, farmers in the study area need to be trained on good milking practices, including regular use of teat dips, application of dry cow therapy, and SCM screening. This will improve their sales and their financial status.
This study investigated the relationship between milking practices, mastitis as well as milk somatic cell counts (SCC) and the effects of high SCC on milk production and post-harvest losses (PHL) in smallholder dairy (n = 64) and pastoral camel (n = 15) herds in Kenya. Data collected included milking practices, mastitis test on udder quarters (n = 1236) and collection of milk samples for laboratory analyses: SCC, detection of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus species. Production losses were computed as a proportion of cows and herds with SCC (>200,000 cells/ml) and PHL as quantity of milk exceeding 4 × 10⁵ cells/ml. Practices associated with production herds included hands, udder washing and drying, and milk let down stimulation with calves suckling or manually (p < 0.001). Udder drying was only applied in peri-urban herds (100%). Herd level prevalence of mastitis was lower in smallholder than in pastoral herds (60.7% vs 93.3%). Mastitis positive samples had higher prevalence of S. aureus than of Streptococcus species in both smallholder (57.9% vs 23.7%) and pastoral (41.6% vs 36.5%) herds. SCC was significantly affected by presence of mastitis and S. aureus (p < 0.001). Milk PHL from high SCC was higher in smallholder rural herds (27%) compared to peri-urban (7%) and in pastoral peri-urban (81%) compared to rangelands (76%). Milking practices may have contributed to maintain mastitis pathogens in herds. This has led to substantial pre and postharvest milk losses in smallholder and pastoral herds. Therefore teat dipping, dry cow period and herd level mastitis treatment may complement current practices for lower SCC and milk PHL.
One hundred and forty four bulls comprising 48 animals of each breed, i.e. purebred Ankole (ANK) and its crossbreds with Boran (AXB) and Friesian (AXF) were assigned to three feeding systems (FS) to evaluate their performance for improved beef production. The bulls, averaging 191 ± 9.6 kg live weight and 18 months of age, were arranged in a completely randomized design in a 3 X 3 factorial treatment arrangement. The feeding systems comprised: T1 (Grazing alone), T2 (Grazing + concentrate) and T3 (feedlot finishing with maize stover plus 60% concentrate fed ad libitum). Both genotype and feeding system affected growth and slaughter characteristics. The AXF crossbreds had higher average daily gain (ADG) (620 g/day) than ANK (560 g/day) and AXB (500 g/day). Average daily gain was higher in T3 (850 g/day) than in T2 (550 g/day) and T1 (270 g/day). Hot carcass weight and dressing percentage varied in a descending order of 145, 132, 110 kg and 52, 51 and 50% for T3, T2 and T1, respectively. Similar trends were observed for non-carcass components although there were no differences between T3 and T2. Except for external non-carcass components, genotype did not affect slaughter characteristics. The results of this study indicated that the indigenous Ankole cattle have a great potential for beef production when finished in a feedlot even without crossbreeding.
Helminths include one of the most diverse and geographically widespread groups of parasites which infect humans and animals. About 100 species have been reported from humans, usually producing asymptomatic infection or mild symptoms. However, about 20 species are of public health importance causing severe or even fatal infections. In many parts of Africa parasitic helminths are responsible for enormous economic losses, hampering rural development programmes and reducing the pace of economic growth. Many parasitic helminths are either zoonoses (diseases naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and man) or have evolved from animal parasites. The modification of the environment through wars, famine and the ever expanding and increasingly mobile human population brings people into close contact with new environments and wildlife species which makes the study and control of zoonoses of special interest and complexity. In Africa, the transmission of helminth parasites is highly influenced by the ever changing social and cultural differences between diverse groups of peoples and their interaction with wild and domestic animals. It is not surprising, therefore, that approaches to the study and control of parasitic zoonoses require intersectoral cooperation between physicians, veterinarians, parasitologists, zoologists, demographers, anthropologists, engineers and economists to provide the breadth of knowledge and expertise required to develop our understanding of these diseases and to devise methods for their control. This book provides a selective compilation of parasitic helminths, many of which are zoonoses which create important economic and public health problems in Africa.