Performance of communal nursing cows supplemented with Acacia angusitissima hay in an on-farm feeding demonstration in Masvingo, Zimbabwe

摘要

Technologytransferandadoptionisthemajordrawbackinimprovingcommunallivelihoods.TheuseofAcaciaangusitissima;hayasafeedsupplementisnotnewyetveryfewcommunalfarmershaveadoptedandutilisethistechnology.Inordertoimprovetherateoftechnologyuptake,adoptionandutilisation,anon-farmstudywasconductedinZaka.Thestudywasconductedonlactatingcowsownedbyfarmersinthedryseasonforoveraperiodofthreemonths.Twelvefarmerswithtwolactatingcows,eachwithfourfunctionalteatsandinearlystagesoflactationwereselectedandrandomlyassignedtotwotreatmentsofAcaciaangusitissimahaysupplementandnosupplement.Thefarmerswereresponsibleforfeeding,milkingandrecordingthemilkyieldswiththeassistanceoflivestockextensionworkersinthearea.Theresultsindicatedthatweightgain,milkyield,milkqualityandincomegeneratedweresignificantlydifferent(P0.05).ThefarmersparticipatedandobservedthatwithAcaciaangusitissimasupplementmoremoneycouldberaisedandanimalscouldsurvivetheharshdryseasoncondition.Furthermore,thedaysinlactationwereincreasedwithproteinsupplementsduringtheperiodsofqualityfeeddeficit.Weconcludedthatwithmoreon-farmstudy,technologytransfer,uptakeandadoptionmaybeimprovedthusimprovinganimalperformance.