aistand south~ern afrkca - (PDF, 101 mb) - USAID

ecent diffusion study carried out in one of the
original districts concluded that there was a
general diffusion of technology from the project
staff to project farmers and to other farmers who
were not involved in the project. However, the
study has bean criticised because it covered only
one district, concentrated on non-project farmers
and measured only the level of adoption of the
technical packages.
The project has not developed a standard
extension model (but is in the process of
developing one) and relies heavily on a sustained
effort te advise project farmers. Zero-grazing is
capital- and labour-intensive, hence the need for
farmers to demonstrate their capacity before
being accepted as members of the project. A
feature that is becoming important to the project
is the promotion and utilisation of commoninterest
groups or clubs. The groups are not only
important in diffusion of the zero-grazing
technology but also in sponsoring a self-help
perspective. Members assist each other as the
need arises in areas concerning the establishment
of fodder, construction of the shed,
marketing of milk and other concerns,
Due to the determined process taken to
recruit new members and the intense contacts
between the farmers and the project staff, the
adoption rate of zero-grazing has been high.
However, a few members (about 10% of the
registered members to-date) have abandoned
zero-grazing. No serious investigation has yet
been conducted to find out the reasons for
farmers abandoning the system, but the most
likely reasons are loss of interest and labour
shortages.
Women's role in the zero-grazing system
Women play important roles in dairying in
Kenya. School-age children are also involved in
the zero-grazing system, especially in marketing
milk. The roles of women in zero-grazing can be
summarised by citing the results of a study on
the role of women in the National Dairy
Development Programme in Kenya, carried out
in March 1990 (NDDP, 1990): "Women in Kenya
are wholly involved in all aspects of dairy
development. They are dominant in 83% ofdairy
activities. They perform 39% of the dairy work
compared to men's 26% contribution ... The
women's overall contribution in the various
activities ranges from 22% in tick control to 61%
participation in cleaning the dairy equipment. In
some districts women fetch more than 75%ofthe
water required by animals and do over 91% of
the milking ... This important role should be
recognised by dairy planners and ways sought to
make dairy work less of a burden and more
attractive to women ..."
Development and expansion of the Nntional
Dairy Development Project
As mentioned elsewhere in this paper,the project
originated as a result of an earlier research
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programme with the initiative and cooperation
of both the Dutch and Kenyan Governments.
Many factors have contributed to the successful
development and extension of this programme,
including:
* the dairy industry was well established at the
time of the programme started
* dairying was viewed positively by farmers as
a source of income and food
• improved dairy animals were locally
available in the country
• a well-established artificial insemination (Al)
service enhanced the multiplication of
improved cattle.
The Al programme was introduced in the
country as early as 1935 as a strategy to control
breeding diseases. In the first two years of the AI
programme approximately 6000 cows on 10
farms were artificially inseminated; by 1947 the
number had reached 15,000. However, this
service had hitherto been the preserve of
large-scale farmers and it was only in 1946 that
the Government took the first of a series ofsteps
to make Al widely available by setting up a
Central Insemination Board.
By 1956, preliminary AI trials had been
initiated for peasant farmers in the Central and
Nyanza Provinces. Guernsey semen from
Britain was used in the Central Province while
Sahiwal semen from India was used in Nyanza
Province. In 1966 the Kenya Government formed
the National Artificial Insemination Service,
with technical assistance from Sweden. The
central function of this unit was to conduct Al
field services, while the Central Artificial
Insemination Service (CAIS) remained the
semen production and distribution unit. To help
boost this service, assistance from Sweden was
renewed for a further five years between 1971
and 1976.
The AI services are heavily subsidised by the
Government. In the smallholder dairy farming
areas the Al scheme is based on roadside
crushes. With this system, once an animal has
been identified to be on heat it is taken to the
nearest crush. The inseminator calls randomly
at each crush at an indefinite time each day and
inseminates the cows present. Large-scale
farmers normally organise their own services
on-farm.
Dairying remains a priority in the lives ki
sector of the country and receives important
consideration from the Government. It is
generally acceptec: that zero-grazing is
economically viable for smallholder farmers in
the high potential areas where the programme
operates, competing well with cash crops such as
tea and coffee. In some parts of the country, such
as Nyandarua District, dairying performs better
than other agricultural enterprises. The fact that
farming families can earn a regular monthly
income throughout the year from milk makes it
a more attractive enterprise than others.