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

facilitate greater orientation to field-based
research have yet to be finalised, a process
hindered by the budgetary constraints imposed
by the poor state of the Kenyan economy. The
major change required is some redistribution of
staff and funding from expensive research
stations to field support programmes for on-farm
research,
Appropriateness of technologies
The linkages of the KARIILCA programme to
extensior through t.he NDDP inevitably resulted
in research with a bias towards the technology
components of the NDDP's zero-grazing package,
e.g. the cut-and-carry fodder grass, Napier.
Population growth and the consequent
increased pressure on land is expected to lead to
much greater intensification of land use in the
next 20-30 years and therefore a move to
cut-and-carry technologies. However, the
farming systems studies clearly indicated that
extensive systems that are more capital and
labour efficient are currently more common
(Table 3) and more appropriate to smallholder
resources (Thorpe et al, 1992a). The availability
of concentrates at prices that are low relative to
farm-gate milk prices and the difficulties of
maintaining Napier grass under coastal
conditions and at current levels of farm
management suggest that, for the time being,
the cultivation of Napier should be given less
emphasis, while the feeding of concentrates
complemented by legume forages should be
encouraged. Response curve experiments and
financial analyses are required to define optimal
concentrate levels,
Clearly, however, technology by itself is not
enough. The deterioration of the government
artificial insemination (Al) service is a majoi
constraint on production from the current
smallholder herd. The failure of AI delivery and
the risk of ECF in most areas and of trypanosomiasis
in others are the major biological
constraints preventing many smallholders
adopting dairying as an enterprise. Effective and
sustainable delivery mechanisms for AI and
disease prevention and control are required.
Veterinary services must be re-organised to
achieve effective delivery. Without improved
delivery of veterinary services, a major,
sustainable expansion ofdairy production in the
smallholder sector is most unlikely.
Impact of research programme
Government and institutional policies
Perhaps more than any other single factor, milk
pricing policy influences the decision of
smallholders whether or not to adopt milk
production. The recent deregulation of milk
prices has therefore been a major step towards
increased milk produrtion for Mombasa and its
environs. The policy change has had a large
effect on the market price of milk, stimulating a
substantial price rise and a further reduction in
the competitiveness of the formal market
relative to the informal market. These changes
will stimulate dairy development in the coastal
lowlands.
Some policy makers favour concentrating
resources for dairy research and development in
the 'high potential' highlands, at the expense of
the coastal lowlands. Any comparative
advantage for highland production would have
to offoet the considerable cost of transporting
milk from the highlands to the coast. An
Table 3. Number ofherds in zero, semi-zero and free-range grazing systems for dairy and mixed (dairy
ad 1ocal zebu) herd type! in three agro-ecological zones, Kalo/eni Division.
Agro-ecological
zone Herd type Zero
Grazing system
Semi-zero Free range Total
Coconut-cassava Dairy 15 8 13 36
Mixed 6 5 39 50
Cashownut-cassava Dairy 1 11 12 24
Mixed - 6 28 34
Livostock-millet Dairy 2 2 4
Mixed - 1 8 9
Total Dairy 16 21 27 64
Mixed 6 12 75 93
Proportion of total 0.14 0.21 0.65 1.0
41