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Diploma in General Agriculture: Animal Production Notes

Institution: Nyandarua National Polytechnic

Course: Diploma in General Agriculture

Content Category: Lecture Notes

Posted By: mr Daniel

Document Type: DOCX

Number of Pages: 63

Price: KES 150

Views: 760 Downloads: 9

Summary

The status and role of ruminant livestock in Kenya:

Dairy Cattle
Dairy production takes place all over the world but with different levels of development. In some countries dairy production is a highly developed and sophisticated industry while in others such as developing countries it is very rudimentary. Compared to Tanzania and Uganda, Kenya is considered to have a relatively well developed dairy industry. This started in the time of colonial settlers. Kenya is self-sufficient in dairy products with occasional imports during severe drought (milk powder for reconstitution). In Kenya milk comes from cattle (84.4%), camels (11.5%) and goats (4.1%). Most of the milk (90% of milk production) comes from improved dairy cattle that include pure breeds (exotic –Friesian, Ayrshire, -Guernsey and jersey) and crosses (exotic and Grade cattle. Most of the dairy cattle are found in the highland districts of Central, Rift valley and Eastern provinces. National milk production is about 2.0 billion litres produced as follows:
• Small scale producers 60%
• Large scale produces 30%
• Pastoralists 10%
National average production is estimated at 1200-1500 kg/cow/lactation, with most grade cows ranging between 1,900 - 2100 kg/yr. The dairy industry in Kenya is now liberalized since 1992 and there has been an entry into the market by many small scale and medium size milk processors as well as a few large scale processors. Hopefully, this will reward producers with better prices and hence higher production in the medium and long term.

Constraints to improved Dairy Industry in Kenya
1. Prevalence of breeds with very low milk production potential
2. Diseases - high incidence of diseases some of which are endemic.
3. Presence of Insect pests such as ticks, tsetse flies etc
4. Harsh climatic conditions
5. Hot climate, intense solar radiation
6. Seasonal rainfall fluctuates. 80% of E. Africa is classified as ASAL
7. Little application of technical knowledge and skills in dairy production.
Development of an organized dairy industry in east African region will require the following:
1. Improvement in quality of livestock. Good dairy cattle with better genetic potential can be obtained through selection and crossbreeding. A.I will play a crucial role in this area.
2. Proper disease control programmes; including creation of disease free zones and stringent veterinary sector control.
3. Provision of adequate high quality fodder and supplementary feeds.
4. Efficient animal management including proper housing
5. Availability of qualified manpower in animal nutrition, breeding and dairy technologists.
6. Well organized marketing infrastructure- efficient dairy co-operatives, private firms.
7. Improved infrastructure and in particular roads since milk is a highly perishable commodity and has to reach processing centres on time.
8. Incentives by Government particularly subsidy of prices of inputs
9. Improved land tenure system; Land consolidation to enhance economics of scale as well as free hold title of lease rather than Government ownership to ensure guarantee of ownership of facilitates and at the same time offer stability of investments.

Beef Cattle
Beef farming in Kenya is a type of livestock keeping which involves rearing of cattle for production of meat. With about 80% of Kenya’s landmass being arid and semi-arid, beef farming is a viable way of using land, which would have otherwise been left to lie fallow. 90% of beef cattle in Kenya are in the hands of subsistence farmers and pastoralists. Today, cattle population exceeds 10 million head with the largest number in the Rift Valley, Nyanza and Eastern Provinces. It is estimated that over 6 million head of cattle go to slaughter houses every year and provide beef for local and export market. The major slaughter-houses are located in the urban areas like Dagoretti in Nairobi, Miritini in Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret. The national meat processing factory is located at Athi River township near Nairobi. Canning and freezing plants are located at Nairobi, Thika and Nakuru.
The distribution of beef cattle in Kenya is controlled by the rainfall pattern. Most animals are kept in ranches in the former Rift Valley Province like in Laikipia, Nakuru, Trans Nzoia and Kajiado counties. Large ranches are also found in parts of Kili? and Kwale counties in the Coast. Small scale beef farming is carried out in almost all parts of Kenya. The small scale farmers sell their traditional breeds to the nearest open air markets to traders, who in turn sell them to the butchers. The butchers slaughter them at their respective abattoirs and in turn sell their beef at their respective butcheries to customers within the locality. Before the meat is sold, it must be inspected by a Veterinary Extension Of?cer, who declares it either ?t or un?t for human consumption. The canned and frozen beef is mainly exported to some African and other overseas countries. The marketing of beef and related products is dominated by Kenya Meat Commission.

Significance of Beef Farming in Kenya
Beef farming has bene?ted the Kenyan economy in several ways. These include:
1. Provision of beef for local consumption – The industry has produced beef which is consumed locally. This has saved the country the foreign exchange that could have been used in beef importation. This has also served as a cheap source of protein.
2. Foreign exchange – Through the exportation of beef products and livestock, the country has earned foreign exchange.
3. Employment – Beef farming is a source of employment to many people e.g., in the beef farms and processing plants.
4. High standard of living – Through sale of livestock the farmers are able to earn some income thus improving their standards of living.

Challenges of Beef Farming in Kenya
A number of problems limit farming in Kenya. These are:
1. High temperatures – In most parts of the country temperatures are high. This makes it hard to rear cattle of high quality.
2. Unreliable rainfall – In most parts of the country rainfall is unreliable leading to inadequate pasture in some times of the year. This affects the general growth and weight of the livestock.
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Diploma in General Agriculture: Animal Production Notes

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