Small scale dairy farming in Zambia
Milk yield levels in dairy cows are influenced by many factors such as nutrition, breed, health status, management and environment. This study was conducted among small scale farmers in Zambia, where the climate can be dry for up to six months per year and cause a lack of green pasture for livestock and on-farm produced feed. The purpose of this study was to identify management factors that can influence milk yield at small scale dairy farms in Zambia, and present advice that could improve productivity, without the need of expensive investments. The study included semi-structured questionnaires presented to the farmers (n=29) including questions about cattle management and milk production. Testing of somatic cell count (SCC) with DCC (DeLaval Cell Counter) from herd milk samples (n=56) and observation of housing and animal body condition on-farm was also made. The farms in this study had a mean milk yield of 6.9 liter per cow and day. A higher milk yield was found for farmers that in addition to grazing, supplemented their cows with forage and concentrates, especially if fed all year around and not only in the dry season. A majority of the herd milk tests (n=56) had a high SCC (64 % over 200 000 cell/ml) which indicate that udder infection were common. The results indicate that an improvement in feeding (both energy and protein, as well as an improvement in udder health can improve milk yield for the herds in the present study.