Factors Affecting the Pregnancy Rate In Small Scale Dairy Farms After The Artificial Insemination In Rural Area, Rwanda

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the factors affecting the pregnancy rate (PR) in small scale dairy farms using artificial insemination (AI) in rural areas of Rwanda. The study was carried out during the period of January to May 2014 in 3 sectors of Kamonyi District namely Kayenzi, Karama and Kayumbu. In total, 90 cows in good health were randomly selected for insemination according to the AI protocol. At day 60 post AI, pregnancy diagnosis was made by transrectal palpation. The overall PR obtained was 42.2%. All intrinsic factors considered namely age, parity and cattle breed have a significant effect on PR; the cows with 4 years and less, parity between 4 and 6 and local and cross breeds had higher PR. Regarding the extrinsic factors, the level of education among farmers was very low (42.8% attended only primary education) and had a significant effect on PR. The majority of farmers don’t have any record on farms (83.3%) and the more the farm is close to the inseminator office (< 3 km), the higher the PR (76%).