Presented by Fanny Chigwa (Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources) at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa Review and Planning Meeting, Malawi, 14-16 July 2015
1. Livestock intensification in
Malawi
Fanny Chigwa
Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources
fancchigwa@yahoo.com
Africa RISING East and Southern Africa Review and Planning Meeting, Malawi, 14-16 July 2015
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2. Presentation Outline
• Livestock Population
• Constraints to livestock production
• Potential of Crop-Livestock production
• Opportunities of Crop-Livestock production
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3. Livestock Populations
Species Total population Person/animal
Goats 5,882,106 3
Cattle 1,316,799 17
Beef cattle 1,252,420 17
Dairy Cattle 64,379 266
Pure dairy cattle 14,710 1214
Dairy Crosses 49,699 340
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DAHLD 2014
4. Why an increase in Goats
• Interplay of:-
• Available Feed resources
• Land size
• Resilience: Ability to survive under environmental
stress and utilize other feed resources
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5. Trends in feed resources
• Shortage of grazing land as arable and dambo
land is allocated to crop production
• Decline in feed quality and quantity in the dry
season (Crude protein in grasses drop from
5.5% to 2.2%)
• Natural trees and multipurpose tree offer
alternative feed resources
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6. Constraints to livestock Production
• Low Productivity: Low milk production which
result in low milk consumption
• 4 kg per capita in Malawi
• 28.5 kg in Sub-Saharan Africa
• 200 kg per WHO recommendations
• Dry season feed shortage
• Diseases
• Markets
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7. Constraints to Dairy Production
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0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
High Investment
Disease incidence
High veterinary charges
Money for recurring expenses
High feed cost
% Farms Selecting Item
North
Central
South
USAID Trilateral Dairy project 2014Africa Rising Annual meeting
8. Potential of Crop-livestock Production
• Manure used as fertilizer in crop fields
• Crop residues can be used as livestock feed
• Livestock are sold to buy food in periods of
food shortage
• Livestock are sold to buy fertilizer or pay for
farm labour
• Integration reduces farmer’s risk
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9. Potential for Crop-Livestock -
Agroforestry
• Fodder trees provide crops with:
– Leaves supply nutrients to crops
• Fodder trees provide livestock with:
– Dietary protein 20-30% whole year
– Anti-nutritional factors that reduce methane:
energy loss in rumen fermentation
– Minerals: Calcium 1-3%, Phosphorus 0.3-0.5%
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10. Rumen Methane production and Dry
season livestock feeds
Forages Methane ml/200mgDM Std Error
Echinocloa pyramidalis 15.10a 0.35
Pennisetum purpureum (Napier grass) 12.23b 0.46
Sachrum offisinarum (sugarcane
leaves)
14.53ab 0.35
Arachis hypogea (shells) 13.83ab 0.67
Arachis hypogea (hay) 2.77c 0.49
Rechardia scabra 5.33d 0.65
Acacia anguiststima 4.27cd 0.23
Leucaena leucocephala 3.50cd 0.42
a, b, c, d: means on the same column with different superscripts are significantly varied (P < 0.05)
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11. Opportunity for livestock
intensification
• Resilience of goat under environmental and
nutritional stress
• Ability to reduce mortalities with better
management
• MPT’s provides dietary CP to livestock whole
year and reduce energy losses when fed at
less than 30%
• Existing festivals when there is a high demand
of livestock or products e.g Ramadan
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12. Scope of Master research
• Establishment of drug boxes
• Goat husbandry training
• Evaluation of local goat feed resources
• Feeding trials using MTP to fatten goats for
slaughter and sale in Ramadan festival
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13. Take home Message
• Livestock trends show an increase in goats
• Striving livestock use alternative feed
resources and are resilient
• There is a need to promote research on
available feeds resources and emerging
production systems
• Livestock production that targets better
marketing channels and period will stimulate
production
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