Abstract

Milk supplies in Botswana are inadequate, especially in the urban centres. With a view to increasing milk production and national livestock research capability, this project will carry out a diagnostic survey of the existing physical infrastructure, resources, and management and marketing practices. Specifically, the project will identify the constraints affecting milk production; develop, test and evaluate appropriate technologies; and devise a suitable milk-marketing strategy. Short course training in milk production, marketing, and animal and fodder production will be made available to two research fellows.

Post-Project Summary

Persistant drought in Botswana hampered research activities, especially forage production. Nevertheless, researchers completed the baseline survey and identified the following constraints to production: ineffective protection of sorghum stover (the dry season feed) from marauding cattle; low sorghum and grain yields due to drought; lack of equipment for transporting farm produce to market; and poor genetic potential for milk production in local Tswana cattle. The researchers compared the performance of Tswana cattle with that of Tswana/Simmental crosses, with and without sorghum bran supplementation. The production of the crosses was about twice that of the Tswana, with minimal response to supplementation. The value of various farm-grown feeds (cowpeas, haulms, maize stover, sorghum stover and Lablab) was chemically analyzed in vitro and in vivo. This information was used to formulate packages for on-station and on-farm feeding. For winter feed, mixtures of sorghum stover/lablab and sorghum stover/sorghum bran were recommended. On-station trials of Lablab showed that the crop was very drought tolerant once established.

Forty farmers participated in on-farm trials. Each farmer exchanged a Tswana cow for a bred Tswana/Simmental heifer raised on the research station (most of the participating farmers voluntarily had other cows artificially inseminated with Simmental semen). Again, cross-bred cows produced more than twice as much milk per lactation as Tswana cows, and demonstrated superior calf growth. The participating farmers were advised to collect and store sorghum stover: all did, as did some of their neighbours. They were also given advice on the proper conservation of Lablab hay, construction of a feeding rack and trough, and a disease control package. There was no need as yet to develop a marketing strategy, as the excess milk produced was absorbed by the families themselves or the local market.

One technical assistant from the Animal Production Research Unit (APRU) attended a short course in dairy husbandry at the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA). One research officer attended a 3-month course on dairy cattle husbandry at the International Agricultural Centre in Wageningen. Two researchers undertook, respectively, MSc and PhD studies in dairy science at Guelph University, Canada. Work continued in a second phase (87-0225).

Recipient Institution(s)