Abstract
A study was conducted to document how smallholder farmers in Ethiopia utilize desho grass ( Pennisetum pedicellatum ) and explain the determinants of alternative and competing uses of the grass. The study was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire for 240 farmers in the districts of Burie Zuria and Doyogena, complemented with input from key informants and secondary data. The dependent variables tested were the use of desho grass as a feed, multipurpose uses of the grass and types of livestock fed. To test the effect of the explanatory variables on the dependent variables, separate univariate Probit models were used. Although the majority of respondents can read and write, about 23% of respondents were illiterate. The average desho grass-producing farmer in the sample owned 0.95 ha of farmland and 3.56 tropical livestock units; average household size was 6.5 people with a household head who was typically male (91% of households). Eighty percent of respondents in Burie Zuria and all respondents in Doyogena district depended solely on rain for desho grass production. Fifty-eight percent in Burie Zuria and 65% in Doyogena district applied either manure or artificial fertilizer to the grass. Weeding of desho grass was not practiced by any respondents in either district. Sixty percent of farmers used desho grass as a feed and 35% used it for more than a single purpose. Forty-two percent of farmers who fed desho grass did so to only lactating cattle, 3% fed it to small ruminants and 53% fed it to all livestock species. There were significant negative correlations (P<0.01) between both experience in production of desho grass and access to training in its production and utilization, and its utilization as a feed. Seventy percent of farmers in Burie Zuria and 13% in Doyogena have received training in desho grass production. To expand the utilization of the grass to as many farmers as possible, further training should be provided. A multi-faceted approach would be needed for the 23% of illiterate farmers over the 2 districts. Keywords : Cut-and-carry, lactating animals, multipurpose, Probit models. DOI: 10.17138/TGFT(4)112-121
Highlights
Despite the large livestock population in Ethiopia (CSA 2015), its contribution to the national economy is below potential, owing to a range of factors including availability and quality of feed, poor genetic potential of animals for productive traits, poor health care and poor management practices (Mengistu 2006; Legesse 2008)
The adoption of desho grass in the current study is below expectations, in comparison with findings of other studies (Mugisha et al 2004; Salasya et al 2007), which reported that education enhances the use of agricultural technologies because better educated farmers have more opportunity to acquire and process information as well as understand the technical aspects of new technologies
As the literacy level of respondents in the current study is better than the findings of various authors from different parts of Ethiopia (Eba 2012; Mekuriaw and Asmare 2014; Wondatir and Mekasha 2014), this kind of population should be more amenable to technology adoption
Summary
Despite the large livestock population in Ethiopia (CSA 2015), its contribution to the national economy is below potential, owing to a range of factors including availability and quality of feed, poor genetic potential of animals for productive traits, poor health care and poor management practices (Mengistu 2006; Legesse 2008). Of these factors, the most limiting is low quantity and quality of feed (Shapiro et al 2015). Despite its abundance and expansion in different parts of the country, there is a lack of information on how farmers manage and utilize the grass
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