Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar

level of adoption also reduced milk production costs compared with level
1 by 8% in Honduras, 11% in Costa Rica, and 12% in Nicaragua.
3. Level 3 increased milk productivity/ha to 964 kg in Nicaragua, 1390 kg
in Costa Rica, and 1530 kg in Honduras.
The potential impact of the adoption of these technologies at the
regional level is significant. For level 1, at the time of study, the resources
invested totaled US$2.7 million in Honduras, US$5.1 million in Nicaragua,
and US$6.4 million in Costa Rica. By reducing production costs, this
investment made possible an additional annual net earning of US$9.9
million in Nicaragua, US$11.9 million in Costa Rica, and US$12.6 million in
Honduras. Accordingly, the potential benefit of such investment is large,
making repayments possible within the year.
In Honduras and Nicaragua, the artisan-scale cheese industry is the
principal buyer of milk produced by small and medium-sized dairy farmers.
In both countries, in watersheds with seasonal climates, milk production
during the rainy season is almost double that produced in the dry season,
causing, respectively, an oversupply and scarcity of milk. A survey found
that, during the dry season, even though the artisan-scale cheese producers
were willing to buy 55% more milk in Honduras and 76% in Nicaragua, milk
was unavailable. The main reason was apparently the lack of adoption of
improved forage-based feeding technologies.
This situation suggests that an aggressive program to promote the use
of the shrub legume C. argentea and sugarcane to supplement the herd’s
feed during the dry season would have much more impact than promoting
grasses or legumes for the rainy season. The artisan-scale cheese producers
in both countries, but particularly in Honduras, require better quality milk,
especially during the rainy season. In Honduras, milk prices would be 9.4%
higher during the dry season and 11.2% higher during the rainy season. In
Nicaragua, artisan-scale cheese producers would offer 17% higher prices,
but only during the rainy season.
In parallel with research, the Tropileche Consortium has developed
media for communicating with its partners and users to disseminate
research results. Media include a database on dual-purpose production
systems, which database is available through Internet on the
CIAT/Tropileche web site; the Hoja Informativa Tropileche (the Tropileche
Newsletter), which contains information on the Consortium’s research
advances; informative brochures on B. brizantha cv. Pasto Toledo;
publication of results in scientific journals; and videos on the impact of
improved forage technologies.
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