FEASIBILITY OF INTEGRATING ORGANIC MILK PRODUCTION INTO CERTIFIED SMALLHOLDER ORGANIC FARMS IN KIAMBU AND KAJIADO COUNTIES, KENYA

Summary

Organic livestock production can be considered as a system of production that better fulfills animal needs, promotes use of organic and biodegradable input for production and reduce the use of conventional veterinary treatments. As demand for organic dairy products increases in Kenya, especially in Nairobi, so does the need to supply the growing demand. Increased diversification of organic production is needed to meet the growing demand. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the potential, challenges and feasibility of integrating organic milk production in smallholder crop-livestock farms in Kiambu and Kajiado counties of Kenya and validate the efficacy of Tephrosia vogelii Hook., Tephrosia villosa Pers., and Carica papaya Linn. leaves and Carica papaya Linn. against gastrointestinal nematodes. Data was obtained through purposive cross-sectional survey of 55 certified organic crop producers with dairy cattle. It was complemented with additional information from longitudinal and targeted semi-structured interviews from 24 farmers randomly selected from previous cross-sectional survey. A laboratory experiment was also conducted to validate the efficacy of crude aqueous plant extracts (Tephrosia vogelii Hook., Tephrosia villosa Pers., and Carica papaya Linn. leaves and Carica papaya Linn.). Result from the study showed that lack of organic inputs to control pest and diseases (78%) and lack of organic feed (64%) were the most important constraints for farmers to integrate organic dairy production. The average herd size was 3.53 with all the dairy cows were zero-grazed. Most of the cubicles were less than 2.50M2 (75%) and majority of the farmers used acaricides on a weekly basis to control ticks (47%), while all incidences of diseases were treated by a veterinarian. Dried and poultice paste of T. vogelii leaves and C. papaya seeds had more than 95.8% and 98% reduction in egg hatch and larval development inhibition at concentration of 500 mg/ml respectively.
Egg hatch assay revealed more than 95.8% reduction in egg hatch at concentration of 500 mg/ml for dried and poultice paste of T. vogelii leaves and C.papaya seeds. Larval development inhibition assay results showed that both dried and poultice paste of T. vogelii leaves and C.papaya seeds extract yielded more than 98% inhibition at a concentrations of 500mg/ml. Based on the LD50 dried extract of C. papaya seeds was most potent extracts for the inhibition of both egg hatching (49.94mg/ml) and larval development (49.32mg/ml). From the fore going results it is observed that integration of organic dairy production in smallholder farms is constrained by inadequate organic feeds, lack of organic inputs to control pests and diseases, inadequate space for structures and outdoor runs to meet the welfare needs of the cows. Thus, solutions to the constraints to integration must concurrently involve financial, technical and institutional support for converting farmers.