Characterization of the farming and livestock production systems and the potential to enhance livestock productivity through improved feeding in Babati District, Manyara Region, Tanzania David Ngunga and Ben A. Lukuyu International Livestock Research Institute Produced by International Livestock Research Institute Published by International Institute of Tropical Agriculture July 2016 The Africa Research In Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISING) program comprises three research-for-development projects supported by the United States Agency for International Development as part of the U.S. government’s Feed the Future initiative. Through action research and development partnerships, Africa RISING will create opportunities for smallholder farm households to move out of hunger and poverty through sustainably intensified farming systems that improve food, nutrition, and income security, particularly for women and children, and conserve or enhance the natural resource base. The three regional projects are led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (in West Africa and East and Southern Africa) and the International Livestock Research Institute (in the Ethiopian Highlands). The International Food Policy Research Institute leads the program’s monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment. http://africa-rising.net/ This document is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License This document was made possible with support from the American people delivered through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of the US Government’s Feed the Future Initiative. The contents are the responsibility of the producing organization and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of USAID or the U.S. Government. Acknowledgements We would like to thank all respondents (farmers) for their cooperation and openness in sharing their views and experiences during the study. The following Babati District officers are thanked for facilitating the exercise: Gilbert Mbesere, Muhidin Muberwa, David Chalamila and Lukas Makere. The Africa RISING project is acknowledged for funding the study. Dr. Ben Lukuyu (ILRI) provided leadership and technical expertise during the study. Also, we appreciate the logistic support provided by the IITA Arusha office. It is our desire and hope that the collected data on livestock feed resources and the suggested interventions on how to improve feed availability will contribute to improving animal production and productivity. Furthermore, we hope that it will reduce perennial conflicts over land between farmers and livestock keepers, and also lead to sustainable livestock production practices. Summary The Feed Assessment Tool (FEAST) is a rapid and systematic way of assessing animal feed availability and was used in assessing the farming systems of Babati District, Tanzania. Three villages, Hallu, Matufa and Shaurimoyo, were involved in the study. FEAST was implemented through two sessions, a focus group discussion (FGD) and individual interviews. A total of 45 farmers participated in the focus group discussions and 27 farmers participated in the individual interviews. The three villages were chosen as they belong to three different agro-ecological zones, marking their variation in production systems and other livestock and agriculture activities. Feeding practices are mainly carried out in two ways, open grazing and cut and carry systems. However, it was observed that open grazing systems were used more in Shaurimoyo village compared to the other two villages. The key issues identified by farmers were lack of improved dairy breeds, market (price) for both live animals and livestock products, and a shortage of livestock feeds especially during the dry seasons. This may be a potential entry point for interventions in each village. Introduction The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) conducted a study, through the Africa RISING project, on characterizing the livestock production systems, with particular emphasis on feed-related aspects, in Babati District, Tanzania. The Feed Assessment Tool (FEAST) developed by ILRI researchers (Duncan et al., 2012) was used during the study. Animal feed and feeding is the foundation of livestock systems as it, directly and indirectly, affects the entire livestock sector. It has an impact on animal productivity, health and welfare, product quality and safety, producer incomes, household security, land use and land use change, water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions Irrespective of species and production system, animal feed and feeding accounts for about 70% of the production cost (Makkar, 2013). Livestock feed is therefore cited as the single most important constraint to improved productivity for smallholder farmers. 1 Geographical location of the district Babati District is one of the six districts of Manyara region, the others being Mbulu, Simanjiro, Hanang, Kiteto and Babati District Council. Babati district has a total area of 5,608.14 km2 and is divided into 4 divisions (Babati, Gorowa, Mbugwe and Bashnet), with 21 wards and 96 villages. It is located south of the equator, between 30 and 40 S and between 350 and 360 E. It is bordered by Monduli district in the north, Karatu in the northwest, Mbulu in the west, Hanang in the southwest, Kondoa in the south and Simanjiro in the east. The district headquarters is in Babati town, the capital of Manyara region, which is 167 kilometers south of Arusha region on the Arusha-Dodoma and Singida road. The landscape of Babati district is undulating, with hills and mountains. Agricultual status More than 90% of Babati district inhabitants live in rural areas and depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihoods. The agricultural activities consist of both crop production and livestock keeping. Babati district has 134,187 hectares of arable land with 120,000 hectares currently under cultivation. Various food and cash crops are cultivated, with the main ones being cereals, legumes and oil crops. The land used for livestock production is approximately 212,100 hectares. The livestock kept include indigenous cattle, sheep, goats and chickens and are mainly used for beef, milk, draught power, production of farmyard manure, a source of income and for cultural functions. Methodology The FEAST study was undertaken by researchers from ILRI with the assistance of four livestock officers from Babati district. The assessment was carried out through a farmer-centred-diagnosis research methodology, which involves holding focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews. The aim is to systematically analyse farmers’ knowledge of the local farming system, feed-related problems and potential solutions. The exercise was carried out in three villages in Babati district: Shaurimoyo, Matufa and Hallu. A total of 47 participants (30 males and 17 females) who practise both livestock and crop farming took part in the focus group discussions with nine from each site selected for the one-on-one interviews (Table 1). The criterion used to select the nine farmers was to have three participants from each of the three landholding categories: small, medium and large. These farmers were then individually interviewed to collect information on feed resources and feeding practices. The average time taken at each site was about 3 hours 20 minutes. Table 1: Number of participants per site for FEAST exercise Village Number of participants Males Females Shaurimoyo 17 10 (5) 7 (4) Matufa 16 12 (7) 4 (2) Hallu 14 8 (5) 6 (4) (Numbers in brackets are farmers (individuals) interviewed with a questionnaire) 2 Results and discussions Study area The average farm and household sizes in the three villages are 1.6 hectares and 7 persons respectively (Table 2). Table 2: Average farm and household sizes in Shaurimoyo, Matufa and Hallu villages, Babati district Village Average farm size (hectare) Household size (persons) Shaurimoyo 2 7 Matufa 1.2 5 Hallu 2 10 Landholding categories The landholding categories of the three surveyed villages are shown in Table 3. The majority of the households in Shaurimoyo have small to medium landholdings, while Matufa and Hallu have farmers with medium to large landholdings. Table 3: The different landholding categories in Shaurimoyo, Matufa and Hallu villages, Babati district Shaurimoyo Matufa Hallu Range of HH falling Range of HH falling Range of HH falling Category of land size into the land size into the land size into the farmer (ha) category (ha) category (ha) category (%) (%) (%) Small 0.2 – 0.4 40 0.2 – 0.8 15 0.4 – 0.8 20 Medium 0.8 – 2 50 1.2 – 2 45 >0.8 - 2 36 Large >2.4 10 >2 – 4 40 >2 - 6 44 Contribution of livelihood activities Agriculture and livestock production contribute to the livelihoods of the farmers in all three locations. Agriculture is predominant in Shaurimoyo and Hallu while livestock production is the main source of income in Matufa. Farmers also reported that business (11-24 %) and labour (6-14) contribute to their household income. Labour is available throughout the year and is in high demand during the cropping season. The average cost of labour per day is TSH 5,000 (USD 2.2) and cultivating 0.4 hectares of land costs TSH 35,000 (USD 15.2). 3 Contribution of livelihood activities to household income (%) in Shaurimoyo 3% 2% 6% Agriculture Livestock 11% Business 51% Labour Remittance 27% Remmitance Others Contribution of livelihood activities to household income (%) in Matufa 1% 6% Livestock 12% Agriculture