Evaluation of Urban Dairy Cattle Husbandry Practices and Available Feed Resources in Dire Dawa and Harar Cities, Ethiopia

Abstract

The introduction of improved breeds, semen, land provision, forage production, policy reforms, and technological interventions have all been prioritized by the Ethiopian government for the development of dairy in urban and peri-urban areas. However, there is limited information on the real success of husbandry practices and feed resource utilization of urban dairy production systems. Tthis study was conducted to assess the husbandry techniques, feed resource and utilization, and milk production of dairy cows in urban dairy farms. The study was purposefully conducted  in selected urban areas of Harar and Dire Dawa cities on 76  dairy farms. Data on some husbandry practices and common feed resources were collected using semi-structured questionnaires, assessment of farm notebook records for milk data, and focused group discussion. Commonly used feeds from each farm were collected and analysed for their nutritive value. Milk yield was recorded every day from 152 cows for four consecutive months. The study showed that farmers from  small, medium, and large-scale farms fed cows on low quality concentrates of 3.76, 4.61, and 5.84 kg/day, respectively. The major identified feed resources for all farm scales were agro-industrial by-products. The quantity of concentrate supplement per cow per day was significantly different (p<0.0001) among the different farm scales. The average milk yield  produced by a cow  in the present study was low (9.57-13.07 litter/day). In the study area, most farmers fed lactating cows below the point of biological and economic optimum. Finally, this study recommended refresher training, regular monitoring and feed optimization technique to improve milk production in the urban dairy farming system.