Abstract
The survey was conducted to assess urban dairy production and waste management system in Oromia Special Zone around Finfinnee, Ethiopia. The three study towns (Burayu, Sululta and Sebeta) were purposively selected due to the high potential for commercial dairy production. A total of 90 commercial dairy producers 30 from each town who at least own 10 dairy cows were randomly selected. The farmers interviewed individually using the survey questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed and the study revealed that 47.8 and 52.2% of the interviewed were female and male respectively. Next to daily laborers, household wives shared larger responsibility for feeding (21.1%), milking (28.9%) and cleaning (13.3%). The genetic composition of dairy cows in the study areas ranges from 50% exotic gene inheritances to pure (100%) exotic Holstein Friesian. Accordingly, 50, 62.5, ≥75% and pure Holstein Friesian cows account for about 24.4, 38.9, 24.4 and 11% of the herd, respectively. The major sources of feed were both formulated feed and feed that mixed at home (55.6%) and tap water (74. 4%). The average age at first calving, calving interval and days open was 2.26±.05years 20.8 ± 0.05 months and 161.76±34.80 days respectively. The major waste in the farm is manure (73.3%) and followed by feed left over (14.45%) and dust (12. 25%). High price feed, shortage of land, unavailability of dairy cow/heifer in time, feed quality, unavailability of feed in nearby area, diseases and lack of access to credit, shortage of water and inadequate training were among the major constraint of dairy production that need urgent intervention to utilize the untapped resources in the area. Key words: Dairy cattle, urban, production, milk, waste.
Highlights
Urban livestock production constitutes an important subsector of the agricultural production system in Ethiopia
It is a reality that the proportion of male and femaleheaded dairy farms that run a dairy farm business varies from town to town and communities with different socioeconomic and socio-cultural backgrounds
This study demonstrates that the cultural taboos that offer maleheaded households a sole owner of dairy farms started changing and female-headed dairy farms are overtaking the business in urban settings
Summary
Urban livestock production constitutes an important subsector of the agricultural production system in Ethiopia. The contributions of urban livestock production to overall development include income and employment generation, poverty alleviation, and improvement of human nutrition and health (Azage, 2004). Urban agriculture is generally characterized by closeness to markets, high. By supplying perishable products such as vegetables, fresh milk and poultry products, urban agriculture to a large extent complements rural agriculture and increases the efficiency of national food systems (Veenhuizen, 2006). Throughout the developing world, and especially in Africa, animals are an important physical and financial capital for many urban households. As a regular source of income, they represent a form of savings They may generate additional physical capital in the form of manure (Prain, 2006)
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