Linking calving intervals to milk production and household nutrition in Kenya

Nathan DeLay, S.M. Thumbi, Julia Vanderford, Elkanah Otiang, Linus Ochieng, M. Kariuki Njenga, Guy H. Palmer and Thomas Marsh
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S.M. Thumbi: Washington State University
Julia Vanderford: Washington State University
Elkanah Otiang: Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute
Linus Ochieng: Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute
M. Kariuki Njenga: Washington State University
Guy H. Palmer: Washington State University

Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, 2020, vol. 12, issue 2, No 7, 309-325

Abstract: Abstract Maternal and child under-nutrition resulting in childhood stunting remains prevalent in east Africa, leading to increased disease risk, limiting cognitive development, and impeding human capital accumulation that constrains individuals, communities, and nations from reaching their full potential. In a western Kenyan population with a high prevalence of childhood stunting, frequency of milk consumption has been shown to increase monthly height gain in children, indicating the potential to improve health through livestock productivity. However, calving rates remain low, constraining the availability of milk to the household. Here we model average herd-level calving intervals and its relation to milk yield and nutrition in the context of an agricultural household production model, applying a dynamic panel econometric approach to household level data. We provide evidence that targeted on-farm specialization leads to significantly higher calving rates and shorter calving intervals, which in turn predictably increase milk production. Importantly, we show that the positive link between calving and household milk nutrition is present across households that primarily consume milk produced on-farm (“producer-consumers”) and those that predominantly purchase milk (“milk buyers”), indicating that efforts to improve herd fertility in western Kenya could improve food security on a community scale.

Keywords: Calving intervals; Calving rates; Milk yield; Agricultural household production model; Q10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s12571-019-01006-w

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