August 26, 2022

Enhanced cattle breeds: The route to increased milk production and farmer income

Animal Production Related

Kenya

Meru Dairy Union (MDU) currently collects, on average, about four litres of milk per cow per day from the farmers they serve in Meru County. In total, they collect an average amount of 300,000 litres per day. This, compared to the goal they have set for the next two years, which is to collect and process 500,000 litres of milk per day, means there is potential in farmers’ capacity to increase production.

As part of the plan to realize production potential, the MDU-2SCALE partnership has facilitated the setup of the first Artificial Insemination (AI) satellite in Githongo, Meru County. The initiative was designed to reduce distances covered by private inseminators in accessing semen and AI accessories and increase the chances of impregnating all cows on heat. The satellite will influence cattle genetics by ensuring that the private service providers are using improved cattle breeds aligned to MDU’s breeding objectives. The satellites will also serve as training centres for inseminators, enhancing service delivery.

Meru Dairy Union has a partnership with Kenya Animal Genetic Resources Centre (KAGRC) as a key semen supplier, but the distribution system was centralized. Through 2SCALE intervention, the distribution of semen was streamlined. The satellite was officially opened on the 5^th of May 2022. Despite being in operation for only four months, it has performed incredibly well in providing easy access to semen doses for private inseminators serving smallholder farmers in Githongo. Since the inauguration of the AI satellites, over 4,000 farmers now have easier access to the services.

Githongo is one of the main catchment areas for crossbreeding programs. There are six cooperatives in the area that supply milk to MDU. These cooperatives have been active for a significant amount of time and can, therefore, be considered stable and reliable as a market for the product. Private inseminators have a hard time getting the product locally to these farmers since they have to source the doses from Meru town, which is 12km away. Not only was the long-distance contributing to the increased cost of doing business by the AI service providers, but it also increased the chances of missing inseminating cows on heat.

The satellite centre is run by Irene Makena, 27, who oversees its operations and sells the semen doses to the private inseminators. It houses a 3-litre tank containing the semen and a 47-litre tank containing liquid nitrogen, at -196 degrees. Liquid nitrogen is used for semen preservation.

Currently, four cattle breeds are available at the satellite. MDU sources Friesian and Ayrshire breed doses from Kabete, Kiambu County and imports newer, more uncommon breed doses, Pencobeattles (Holstein) and Blak Belly (Holstein). The liquid nitrogen is also sourced from Kabete. These doses are stored in well-labelled straws in different canisters in the tank to avoid damaging the product and for easy retrieval.

For Githongo, the most popular dose is the Friesian semen from Kabete. Ms Makena attributes it to the breed performing well under the climatic conditions of the area. According to Ms Makena, the semen doses have a 90 per cent chance of conception. The private inseminators charge farmers between Ksh. 1000 (USD 8) to Ksh. 7,000 (USD 59) for the service, depending on the breed and source of the semen. The most expensive are imported sexed semen doses, which are specially processed semen from which the chromosomes that lead to the birth of a male calf are either removed or killed, to ensure that a female calf is born. Sexed semen is popular because farmers strive to get heifers for their dairy farms.

When private inseminators visit the satellite to make a purchase, they carry their own preservation tank to ensure that the semen stays safe and viable during transport to the farmer. They are required to keep the liquid nitrogen at a safe level. To cater for this, the satellite also sells liquid nitrogen, which is available at KES 500 (USD 4) per litre.

So far, the demand for enhanced cattle breeds has been quite high in Githongo, as Ms Makena explains:

When we began operations, private inseminators were not aware of the satellite and some did not understand the concept of artificial insemination. I used to sell two to five straws a day. However, business picked up after the private inseminators were made aware of the existence of the satellite. Through its promotion by the 2SCALE-MDU partnership and support from the cooperatives, we got additional inseminators. Now, I sell at least 10 doses and 5 litres of liquid nitrogen per day. I have 10 private inseminators who are loyal and only get the semen from this satellite.

The partnership intends to upscale the concept by opening more satellite offices within the catchment areas and beyond.

Facilitating the adoption of modern techniques through financial inclusion

The artificial insemination model is credit-based, making it available to all smallholder farmers in the area. The local cooperatives have standing arrangements with private inseminators. The farmers receive the insemination services on credit and slowly pay back through deductions from the payouts they get from the sale of their milk. This created opportunities for smallholder dairy farmers who could not afford to get their cows inseminated to acquire the service.

Empowering the community through employment opportunities.

The satellite centres have also enlisted extension officers who work on the ground with the farmers to ensure that the service is effective and encourage more of them to embrace the new technology. The officers engage with the farmers, give recommendations on the insemination process, document what they are doing and make follow-up calls and visits to find out if they are implementing their recommendations correctly. The farmers have been very receptive to the extension service. This is contributing a great deal to the effective adoption of artificial insemination.

To cater to farmers’ day-to-day needs, an inventory is kept at the satellite, listing other private service providers. These include services such as silage-making, baling of hay, and cow shed construction. MDU is using this to promote youth employment in the area. They uplift the youth through training and capacity building and once they learn and hone these skills, they get listed in the inventory.

The adoption of artificial insemination contributes to the larger goal of value addition as it creates the opportunity for smallholder farmers to improve their dairy cattle's quality and quantity of production. Adoption of enhanced cattle breeds also means that dairy farmers will need to keep fewer cattle but still produce more milk. Significant support and skill transfer to farmers are required in their transition to modern dairy farming practices for profitability and sustainability.

Share this update: