Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Volume 7 Number 1 January 2015 ISSN 2141-2170 -2170 ABOUT JAERD The Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development (JAERD) is published monthly (one volume per year) by Academic Journals. Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development (JAERD) is an open access journal that provides rapid publication (monthly) of articles in all areas of the subject such as Impact monitoring and evaluation system for farmer field schools, Metals in bio solids-amended soils, Nitrogenous fertilizer influence on quantity and quality values of balm, Effect of irrigation on consumptive use, water use efficiency and crop coefficient of sesame etc. The Journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence. Papers will be published shortly after acceptance. All articles published in JAERD are peer-reviewed. Contact Us Editorial Office: [email protected] Help Desk: [email protected] Website: http://www.academicjournals.org/journal/JAERD Submit manuscript online http://ms.academicjournals.me/ Editors Dr. Kursat Demiryurek Dr. Ayyanadar Arunachalam, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Department of Forestry, Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science & 55139, Samsun, Technology, Turkey. Nirjuli 791109, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Prof Theera Rukkwamsuk Kasetsart University Dr. V. Basil Hans Thailand. St Aloysius Evening College, Mangalore. # 720 Light House Hill, Mangalore – 575 005, Dr. Vincent Bado Karnataka State. WARDA, Africa Rice Center India. Burkina Faso. Dr. Farhad Mirzaei Dr. Tahseen Jafry Department of Animal Production Management , Glasgow Caledonian University Animal Science Research Institute of Iran Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow Scotland UK, G4 OBA Dr. Ijaz Ashraf UK. Institute of Agri. Extension and Rural Development, Dr. Daniel Temesgen Gelan University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-Pakistan Welaita Sodo University ,Ethiopia Editorial Board Dr. Vasudeo P. Zamabare Dr. Hossein Azadi South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) Centre for Development Studies, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, USA. University of Groningen The Netherlands. Dr. Jurislav Babic, University of Osijek, Faculty of Food Technology Dr Neena Singla F. Kuhaca 20, 31000 Osijek Punjab Agricultural University Croatia. Department of Zoology College of Basic Sciences and Humanities Dr. Ghousia Begum India. Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) India. Dr. Emana Getu Degaga Addis Ababa University Ethiopia. Dr Olufemi Martins Adesope University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Dr. Younes Rezaee Danesh Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture Urmia University, Urmia- Dr. A.H.M.Mahbubur Rahman Iran. Rajshahi University Bangladesh. Dr. Zahra Arzjani Dr. Ben Odoemena Faculty of Geography, Islamic Azad University Branch of Tehran Central, Tehran IFAD Iran. Nigeria. Dr Hossein Aliabadi Farahani Dr. D.Puthira Prathap Islamic Azad University Shahriar (Shahr-e-Qods) Beranch, Sugarcane Breeding Institute (Indian Council of Agricultural Department Agricultural Research) Iran. India. Dr. Shikui DONG Dr. Mohammad Sadegh Allahyari Environmental School, Beijing Normal University Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch China. Iran. Dr. Babar Shahbaz Dr. Mohamed A. Eltawil University of Agriculture, Faisalabad and Sustainable Kafrelsheikh University Development Policy Instiutute Islamabad Egypt. Pakistan. Dr Henry de-Graft Acquah Dr. H. M. Chandrashekar University of Cape Coast Institute of Development Studies, University of Mysore, Applied Statistics Manasagangotri Mysore 570 006, Karnataka State Ghana. India. Prof. Stanley Marshall Makuza Dr. Kassahun Embaye Umutara Polytechnic Institution: Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (IBC) Zimbabwe. Ethiopia. Dr. Franklin Peter Simtowe International Crops Research Institute for the semi-arid Dr. Hasan Kalyoncu Tropics (ICRISAT) University of Süleyman Demirel, Faculty of Science and Art, Malawi. Department of Biology TURKEY. Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development International Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences Table of Contents: Volume 7 Number 1 January, 2015 ARTICLES Research Articles Agricultural knowledge management: The case of cattle feed quality improvement in Bure district west Gojjam, Ethiopia 1 Habtemariam Assefa, Tegegni G. Egziabher and Azage Tegegne Constraints to the linkage between maize and livestock sub-systems in Ethiopian agriculture 8 Ashenafi Mengistu, Belay Kassa, Eyassu Seifu and Ananadajayasekeram Ponniah Adapting to climate variability and change in smallholder farming communities: A case study from Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger (CVCADAPT) 16 Benoît Sarr, Sanoussi Atta, Mohamed Ly, Seyni Salack, Timothée Ourback Sébastien Subsol , and David Alan George Vol.7(1), pp. 1-7, January, 2015 DOI: 10.5897/JAERD2014. 0641 Articles Number: EE4983650053 Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural ISSN 2141-2154 Copyright ©2015 Development Author(s) retain the copyright of this articles http://www.academicjournals.org/JAERD Full Length Research Paper Agricultural knowledge management: The case of cattle feed quality improvement in Bure district west Gojjam, Ethiopia Habtemariam Assefa1*, Tegegni G. Egziabher2 and Azage Tegegne1 1International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 2Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Received 9 October, 2014; Accepted 19 December, 2014 The government of Ethiopia gives great attention to livestock development for the country’s economy development. Having quality of animal feed is one of the pertinent components of livestock development. To improve the quality and quantity of animal feed in certain locality, farmers should be able to access and use appropriate knowledge for the particular problem at the right time and place. This research was conducted to assess agricultural knowledge management system in relation to improving the quality of animal feed in Bure district. To do so, the data were collected from primary and secondary sources. Multi stage sampling technique was used to select representative respondents. SPSS software (version 15) was also used to analysis the data. As survey result shows, crop residue (92.2%), attela (91.1%), natural pasture (65.6%), hay (62.2%) and birnt (30%) were the major feed sources for dairy producers in Bure district. To improve the quality of feed for their dairy cows, dairy producers had used supplementing non-conventional feeds (like attela and birnt) after grazing (92.1%), green hay making (65.2%), supplement concentrate after grazing (41.6%) and developing improved forage (20.2%) as the major mechanism. Agricultural officers (60.2%) and farmers’ own experiences (52.3%) were the major sources of knowledge for dairy producers in order to improve the quality of cattle feed. Informal discussion (56.8%), experience sharing sessions (36.4%) and on-walk observation (26.1%) were also the major means to access such knowledge. On the other hand, dairy producers had transferred this knowledge into their neighbors (95.1%), friends (91.4%) and relative (63.0%). This study clearly shows that in the study area the mechanisms that were used for improving the quality of cattle feed, did not properly improved the quality of the feed as the dairy cow need. Therefore, efforts should be done to introduce improved and more productive fodder types. Improved mechanisms (like urea treatment, urea molasses block, micro effective) should also be introduced to improve the palatability of available crop residue. In addition, to enhance the adoption rate of all these technologies, all concerned bodies should understand the communities’ knowledge system and approach them through their common knowledge sources and strengthen their means of knowledge accessing and sharing strategies. Key words: Agricultural management, improved knowledge, cattle feed quality. INTRODUCTION The Government of Ethiopia gives high priority to poor growth and efforts to enhance agricultural agriculture and rural development as an engine of pro- productivity, increase the commercialization of smallholder 2 J. Agric. Ext. Rural Dev. surpluses and reduce rural poverty are cornerstones of transferring among the major fodder producers the government’s economic growth strategy, that is, Agriculture Development-Led Industrialization (Spielman et al., 2008). Agriculture is pivotal to Ethiopian economy. MATERIALS AND METHODS According to Teklu (2008) it contributes on average 46% Sampling technique of the real GDP and 85% of export earnings, and the sector employs about 85% of the population and about Multistage sampling design was used to select representative this 85% of the population lives in rural areas and respondents. According to Adebabay (2009), in Bure woreda there practices subsistence agriculture and livestock are three milk production systems. These were rural, peri-urban and urban milk production system. This study was conducted based on production. Therefore, the development of Ethiopian these three milk production systems in order to understand how agriculture will have direct impact on the overall these dairy producers achieve the above objective. The list of milk development of the country. producers of rural, peri-urban and urban milk production system The majority of smallholder farms depend on animals were obtained from the district agricultural and rural development for draught power, cultivation and transport of goods.