The impact of fodder trees on milk production and income among smallholder dairy farmers in East Africa and the role of research

Abstract

The objective of this study is twofold, to demonstrate (1) the effects of fodder shrubs
\non milk production and their value at the household and regional level and (2) the
\ncontribution of research by the World Agroforestry Centre toward strengthening
\nthe impact of fodder shrubs. The study is a synthesis of previous studies related
\nto dissemination, adoption and impact combined with two new analyses, one
\nquantitatively measuring the impact of the shrubs through econometric analysis and
\nthe other a qualitative analysis to better understand constraints on adoption and
\ngender issues related to participation and control of benefits from fodder shrubs.
\nAmong the study findings are that fodder shrubs have been widely adopted in East
\nAfrica, by an estimated 205,000 smallholder dairy farmers by 2005. Women were
\nactive in planting shrubs, as monitoring found almost half of planters to be women.
\nSeveral studies have confirmed that shrubs do have an impact on milk production.
\nWhile feeding trials have found that 1 kilogram of calliandra increases milk production
\nby 0.6–0.8 kilograms, a new survey of farmers’ perceptions in Kenya found the effect
\nto be about half as large after controlling for the effects of breeds, season and other
\nfeeds. Whether the effect is the lower or higher estimate, the overall impact of the
\nshrubs in terms of additional net income from milk is high, at US$19.7 million to
\n$29.6 million in Kenya alone over the past 15 years.