Pre Scaling up of Crop Residue Treatment Technology for Improving Quality and Nutritive Value of Crop Residues for Beef Cattle Fattening in West Arsi and East Showa Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

Pre scaling up of crop residue treatment technology for improving quality and nutritive value of crop residues for beef cattle fattening was conducted under market oriented crop-livestock production system of East Shoa and West Arsi zones of Oromia Regional state during the dry season (January to March).The study was undertaken in two kebeles of Adami Tulu Jido kombolcha and one kebele of Arsi Negele district, Anano shisho,Desta Abjeta and Kersa Ilala, respective with the objectives of  to convince the merits and increase confidence on the technologies, thereby to facilitate dissemination and adoption of the technology, to collect farmers’ opinion on the performance of the technology, to improve farmers’ knowledge and skill of application of the improved technology through training and to increase local capacity for future scaling-up or out of the technology. Maize is the major crop residue at Adami Tulu Jido kombolcha whereas, wheat, barely and teff straws are the major crop residue used for fattening at Arsi-Negale. The amount of ingredients used were  Straw (200kg)Water (200L) Urea (5kg) for single pit (1m*1m*2m) with a capacity of 200kg of urea treated straw. Totally about 5800kg straw was treated by urea in selected kebeles and provided for fattened animals. Biological and economic data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. Twenty nine oxen were fattened by twenty nine farmers in selected kebeles. The end result of the study revealed that daily weight gain of animal was 0.54 kilograms per day within net return of 1474 Ethiopian Birr per animal in ninety days. Therefore, this technology should be further scaled up by stakeholder body in areas where at molasses and crop residues are available.

Keywords: Arsi oxen, crop residue, pre scaling up, stakeholder and urea treated straw