Farmers’ perceptions of dairy cattle breeds, breeding and feeding strategies: A case of smallholder dairy farmers in western Kenya

To understand farmers' preference and perceptions of breed attributes, breeding and feeding practices, 419 households in western Kenya were interviewed in a cross-sectional survey. Respondents scored their preference for cattle breeds, traits and breeding methods on a scale of 1 (most preferred) to...

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Autores principales: Lukuyu, Margaret N., Gibson, John P., Savage, D.B., Rao, E.J.O., Ndiwa, Nicholas N., Duncan, Alan J.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Informa UK Limited 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/105537
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author Lukuyu, Margaret N.
Gibson, John P.
Savage, D.B.
Rao, E.J.O.
Ndiwa, Nicholas N.
Duncan, Alan J.
author_browse Duncan, Alan J.
Gibson, John P.
Lukuyu, Margaret N.
Ndiwa, Nicholas N.
Rao, E.J.O.
Savage, D.B.
author_facet Lukuyu, Margaret N.
Gibson, John P.
Savage, D.B.
Rao, E.J.O.
Ndiwa, Nicholas N.
Duncan, Alan J.
author_sort Lukuyu, Margaret N.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description To understand farmers' preference and perceptions of breed attributes, breeding and feeding practices, 419 households in western Kenya were interviewed in a cross-sectional survey. Respondents scored their preference for cattle breeds, traits and breeding methods on a scale of 1 (most preferred) to 5 (least preferred). Preferences were compared using multinomial logistic regression models on weighted scores. The Ayrshire breed was most preferred followed by the Friesian. Using hardship tolerance as a reference trait, the Friesian was preferred 4.86 times more for high milk production and Ayrshire, Jersey and Guernsey breeds 4.61, 4.60 and 4.18 times (p < 0.01) more, respectively, for milk fat content. The Ayrshire was preferred 4.16 times more for its perceived low feed requirement and 1.22 times more (p < 0.01) for resistance to diseases. Friesian was the only breed preferred (3.18 times more) (p < 0.01) for high growth rate of calves. Artificial insemination (AI) was the breeding method of choice, but majority (>68%) of respondents used natural mating, because it was readily available and cheaper. The current study highlights the importance of taking into account farmers' objectives and the production environment when designing breed improvement programmes and recommends packaging of breeding together with feeding interventions.
format Journal Article
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institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
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spelling CGSpace1055372025-11-12T04:26:07Z Farmers’ perceptions of dairy cattle breeds, breeding and feeding strategies: A case of smallholder dairy farmers in western Kenya Lukuyu, Margaret N. Gibson, John P. Savage, D.B. Rao, E.J.O. Ndiwa, Nicholas N. Duncan, Alan J. dairies animal feeding cattle livestock To understand farmers' preference and perceptions of breed attributes, breeding and feeding practices, 419 households in western Kenya were interviewed in a cross-sectional survey. Respondents scored their preference for cattle breeds, traits and breeding methods on a scale of 1 (most preferred) to 5 (least preferred). Preferences were compared using multinomial logistic regression models on weighted scores. The Ayrshire breed was most preferred followed by the Friesian. Using hardship tolerance as a reference trait, the Friesian was preferred 4.86 times more for high milk production and Ayrshire, Jersey and Guernsey breeds 4.61, 4.60 and 4.18 times (p < 0.01) more, respectively, for milk fat content. The Ayrshire was preferred 4.16 times more for its perceived low feed requirement and 1.22 times more (p < 0.01) for resistance to diseases. Friesian was the only breed preferred (3.18 times more) (p < 0.01) for high growth rate of calves. Artificial insemination (AI) was the breeding method of choice, but majority (>68%) of respondents used natural mating, because it was readily available and cheaper. The current study highlights the importance of taking into account farmers' objectives and the production environment when designing breed improvement programmes and recommends packaging of breeding together with feeding interventions. 2019-12-13 2019-10-28T14:09:03Z 2019-10-28T14:09:03Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/105537 en Open Access application/pdf Informa UK Limited Lukuyu, M.N., Gibson, J.P., Savage, D.B., Rao, E.J.O., Ndiwa, N. and Duncan, A.J. 2019. Farmers’ perceptions of dairy cattle breeds, breeding and feeding strategies: A case of smallholder dairy farmers in western Kenya. East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal
spellingShingle dairies
animal feeding
cattle
livestock
Lukuyu, Margaret N.
Gibson, John P.
Savage, D.B.
Rao, E.J.O.
Ndiwa, Nicholas N.
Duncan, Alan J.
Farmers’ perceptions of dairy cattle breeds, breeding and feeding strategies: A case of smallholder dairy farmers in western Kenya
title Farmers’ perceptions of dairy cattle breeds, breeding and feeding strategies: A case of smallholder dairy farmers in western Kenya
title_full Farmers’ perceptions of dairy cattle breeds, breeding and feeding strategies: A case of smallholder dairy farmers in western Kenya
title_fullStr Farmers’ perceptions of dairy cattle breeds, breeding and feeding strategies: A case of smallholder dairy farmers in western Kenya
title_full_unstemmed Farmers’ perceptions of dairy cattle breeds, breeding and feeding strategies: A case of smallholder dairy farmers in western Kenya
title_short Farmers’ perceptions of dairy cattle breeds, breeding and feeding strategies: A case of smallholder dairy farmers in western Kenya
title_sort farmers perceptions of dairy cattle breeds breeding and feeding strategies a case of smallholder dairy farmers in western kenya
topic dairies
animal feeding
cattle
livestock
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/105537
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