Dairy Cattle Production Systems in Humbo Woreda, Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted in Humbo district, Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia to assess dairy  production systems .Two Kebeles were selected based on the agro-ecology of the Woreda. From each Kebele twenty households that have at least one dairy cow were selected randomly. Two main dairy production systems; mixed crop-livestock production system(80%) and agro-pastoralism (20%) were identified. Most of the respondents were keeping indigenous dairy cattle with traditional cattle husbandry and management practices such as feeding, watering, milking, housing, breeding, etc. with the average livestock holding of 9.0. The major feed resources indentified in the studied areas include; teff straw, maize and sorghum stovers, fruits, enset, natural grass and non-conventional feeds like coffee leaves with the major feeding system practiced was grazing. The major  constraints of dairy development in the studied area include; feed shortage (dry season), shortage of water, dairy cattle diseases, discouraging marketing systems (seasonality), reproductive problems(long calving interval, abortion, etc and other problems like lack of training.

Keywords: Agro-pastoralism, Dairy, Ethiopia, Qolla, Southern, Woinadega