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

country relies on the development of both crops
and livestock. In cognizance of this fact the
government set up a number of agricultural
projects in which livestock are a major
component. ISABU, a government institution
with a mandate to conduct agricultural research
in the country, initiated a project in 1960 of
crossing Sahiwal with Ankole. This was followed
by a selection programme of the crosses in 1975
at Rukoko and in 1978 at Mahwa.
After many years of on-station research work
the scientists felt that it was important to
introduce the crosses on-farm. Government
statistics indicate that the total national cattle
herd has declined in the past 10 years partly due
to the shrinkage of grazing areas and the
demand fcr beef. In consideration of the positive
productive livestock the interactions government felt between that an crops integrated and
agricultural approach was the most expedientt
ensure contindty in crop and livestock
development,
In pursuit of this policy, Kisozi was identified
as a suitable site for on-farm research is it was
representative of the high-altitude areas; its
proximity to the Kisozi Research Station was an
added advantage. The target group was the
smallholder farmer who grew crops and raised
livestock. The ISABU scientists put together a
package of technologies that comprised a
Sahiwal and Ankole cross, an improved cow shed
and a feed production programme. However,
before on-farm introduction the scientists made
a survey to characterise and identify potential
cooperating farmers,
The following questions were put to the
farmers:
" Do you have your own land?
" Do you live on your own land?
" Do you derive most of your income from the
land?
" Do you have less than three head of livestock?
" Have you established a plot of cultivated
pastures?
" Do you agree to participate in the ISABU
proposal on livestock improvement and its
emphasis on the integration with crops?
Methodology and time sequence
The farmers who were identified were asked to
fulfil a set of conditions including construction of
a simple cow shed and the establishment ofa plot
of THpsacum laxum. In 1986, six farms
participated in the programme after adhering to
the stipulated conditions. They were given an
in-calf Sahiwal and Ankole crossbred heifer on
credit at a cost equivalent of US$ 65 which had
to be repaid in four instalments. In 1987, fifteen
additional participating farmers joined the
programme and in 1988 and 1989 the number
increased by 12 and by six, respectively,
Burundese farmers have traditionally kept
cattle for milk and manure production, therefore
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their acceptance of the package was not difficult.
Government also encourages farmers to keep
livestock to improve their standard of living.
However, the cost of a oregnant heifer is
generally prohibitive for peasants, when this is
compared with the per capita income of US$ 250
per year. Furthermore, the scarcity of land does
not favour raising large rumirants.
Implementation of the pr'gramme
The main objective of the project was to
characterise the livest-:k production system and
to identify alternatives that promote livestock
and agricultural production.
Achievements and failures
The research programme emphasised on-farm
introduction of improved cattle and feed
production. production To o assess im the pro programme, game different difeed
indices on the suitability of the technologies onfarm
were set, including liveweight changes of
offspring and milk
Concurrently,
and manure production.
several forage species were introduced
on-farm to improve animal nutrition and
to eventually establish the adoption of a zerograzing
programme. The adaptability of the
introduced forage species and their productivity
was studied and the manure produced on the
farms was used to fertilise arable crops. A
comparative analysis of the impact of manure
on crop production was made. In addition,
traditional milk processing technology was
critically analysed during the later phase of the
programme. The adaptation of the introduced
Sahiwal-Ankole crossbred in the rural area was
assessed by measuring production parameters of
herd multiplication, milk production, fecundity
and mortality rates (Tables 4, 5, 6 and 7) and
manure production (Table 8).
Table 4. Herd growth rate and mortality rates
on-larni and on-station.
Station On-farm
Calving rates (%) 69 77.8
Moraiy rates (%) 1.6 2.6
Growth of the herd 29.3 32.1
per annum ()
All of these indices, with the exception of
mortality, showed better performance on-farm
than on-station.
The use of animal manure to improve soil
fertility has been a long standing practice in
Burundi. Participating farmers were
encouraged to put bedding (in the form of grass)
in the sheds and this was mixed with animal
dung to produce farmyard manure. As the
manure accumulated it was deposited into a
covered pit outside the shed to reduce the level
of leaching. The careful handling of manure
resulted in high levels of recovery (Table 8).