Characterizing Management Practices in High- and Average-Performing Smallholder Dairy Farms under Contrasting Environmental Stresses in Tanzania

Dismas Said Shija (), Okeyo A. Mwai, Perminus K. Migwi, Raphael Mrode and Bockline Omedo Bebe
Additional contact information
Dismas Said Shija: Department of Animal Sciences, Egerton University, Njoro P.O. Box 536-20115, Kenya
Okeyo A. Mwai: International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi P.O. Box 30709-00100, Kenya
Perminus K. Migwi: Department of Animal Sciences, Egerton University, Njoro P.O. Box 536-20115, Kenya
Raphael Mrode: International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi P.O. Box 30709-00100, Kenya
Bockline Omedo Bebe: Department of Animal Sciences, Egerton University, Njoro P.O. Box 536-20115, Kenya

World, 2022, vol. 3, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: This study characterized breeding, housing, feeding and health management practices in positive deviants and typical average performing smallholder dairy farms in Tanzania. The objective was to distinguish management practices that positive deviant farms deploy differently from typical farms to ameliorate local prevalent environmental stresses. In a sample of 794 farms, positive deviants were classified on criteria of consistently outperforming typical farms ( p < 0.05) in five production performance indicators: energy balance ≥ 0.35 Mcal NEL/d; disease-incidence density ≤ 12.75 per 100 animal-years at risk; daily milk yield ≥ 6.32 L/cow/day; age at first calving ≤ 1153.28 days; and calving interval ≤ 633.68 days. The study was a two-factor nested research design, with farms nested within the production environment, classified into low- and high-stress. Compared to typical farms, positive deviant farms had larger landholdings, as well as larger herds comprising more high-grade cattle housed in better quality zero-grazing stall units with larger floor spacing per animal. Positive deviants spent more on purchased fodder and water, and sourced professional veterinary services ( p < 0.001) more frequently. These results show that management practices distinguishing positive deviants from typical farms were cattle upgrading, provision of larger animal floor spacing and investing more in cattle housing, fodder, watering, and professional veterinary services. These distinguishing practices can be associated with amelioration of feed scarcity, heat load stresses, and disease infections, as well as better animal welfare in positive deviant farms. Nutritional quality of the diet was not analyzed, for which research is recommended to ascertain whether the investments made by positive deviants are in quality of feeds.

Keywords: breeding practices; feed cost; healthcare cost; positive deviants; stressful production environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G15 G17 G18 L21 L22 L25 L26 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 R51 R52 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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