395
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
B. R. Singh et al. (eds.), Climate Impacts on Agricultural and Natural Resource
Sustainability in Africa, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37537-9_23
Profitability of Supplementary Feeding
of Indigenous Cattle in Dry Areas
of Tanzania
Alexander Solstad Ringheim, Daniel Mushi, Ephraim Mtengeti,
Ismail Selemani, Magnus Åsli, Lars Olav Eik, Elikira Kimbita,
and Leif Jarle Asheim
Abstract By 2050, global food consumption is expected to rise by 60% compared
to the 2005–2007 level. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the population increase may
be as much as 250% by the same period. Hence, there is an urgent need to increase
food production and introduce productivity-enhancing measures in SSA agriculture, including the livestock sector, which is the main focus of this article. The current productivity of the Tanzanian livestock sector is low due to seasonal variations
in the availability and quality of pasture and other feeds. The cattle gain weight
during the rainy season and lose weight in the subsequent dry season. Additionally,
pastoralists face challenges due to the conversion of grazing areas into cropland,
overgrazing, and the increasingly frequent droughts. Although the optimum age for
slaughter is 3.5–4.5 years, farmers in Tanzania slaughter their cows at 5–6 years.
This article argues that this may be an unhelpful economical management practice.
To study the effects of improved feeding on economic performance, we collected
data on on-farm supplementation experiments with indigenous Zebu cattle, in collaboration with pastoral communities and a large-scale commercial wheat farm in
Hanang, Tanzania. The study compared the income and costs associated with traditional cattle keeping (TS) for 6 years at slaughter, with that of two levels of concentrate supplementation, low (LSS) and medium (MSS), allowing for slaughtering at
4.5 and 3.5 years, respectively. Adjusted net margins for the three systems were 199,
911 and 978 USD, respectively. Our results strongly suggest that farmers should
A. S. Ringheim (*)
International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric, Norwegian University of Life
Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway
D. Mushi · E. Mtengeti · I. Selemani · M. Åsli · E. Kimbita
Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Morogoro, Tanzania
L. O. Eik
Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Norwegian University
of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
L. J. Asheim
Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Ås, Norway
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
B. R. Singh et al. (eds.), Climate Impacts on Agricultural and Natural Resource
Sustainability in Africa, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37537-9_23
Profitability of Supplementary Feeding
of Indigenous Cattle in Dry Areas
of Tanzania
Alexander Solstad Ringheim, Daniel Mushi, Ephraim Mtengeti,
Ismail Selemani, Magnus Åsli, Lars Olav Eik, Elikira Kimbita,
and Leif Jarle Asheim
Abstract By 2050, global food consumption is expected to rise by 60% compared
to the 2005–2007 level. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the population increase may
be as much as 250% by the same period. Hence, there is an urgent need to increase
food production and introduce productivity-enhancing measures in SSA agriculture, including the livestock sector, which is the main focus of this article. The current productivity of the Tanzanian livestock sector is low due to seasonal variations
in the availability and quality of pasture and other feeds. The cattle gain weight
during the rainy season and lose weight in the subsequent dry season. Additionally,
pastoralists face challenges due to the conversion of grazing areas into cropland,
overgrazing, and the increasingly frequent droughts. Although the optimum age for
slaughter is 3.5–4.5 years, farmers in Tanzania slaughter their cows at 5–6 years.
This article argues that this may be an unhelpful economical management practice.
To study the effects of improved feeding on economic performance, we collected
data on on-farm supplementation experiments with indigenous Zebu cattle, in collaboration with pastoral communities and a large-scale commercial wheat farm in
Hanang, Tanzania. The study compared the income and costs associated with traditional cattle keeping (TS) for 6 years at slaughter, with that of two levels of concentrate supplementation, low (LSS) and medium (MSS), allowing for slaughtering at
4.5 and 3.5 years, respectively. Adjusted net margins for the three systems were 199,
911 and 978 USD, respectively. Our results strongly suggest that farmers should
A. S. Ringheim (*)
International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric, Norwegian University of Life
Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway
D. Mushi · E. Mtengeti · I. Selemani · M. Åsli · E. Kimbita
Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Morogoro, Tanzania
L. O. Eik
Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Norwegian University
of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
L. J. Asheim
Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Ås, Norway