Factors affecting pasture conservation practices among dairy cattle farmers in Namutumba town council, Namutumba district.

Abstract

Dairy production across the East African sub-region is characterized by a critical challenge of feed inadequacy quantitatively and qualitatively which would have alternatively been tackled by pasture conservation in times of plenty. A study was carried out in Namutumba town council to establish factors affecting pasture conservation practices among dairy cattle farmers with special emphasis on the factors and relationship between education levels and gender of household heads with pasture conservation practices. The data on the major challenges to pasture conservation included; 21% respondents lacked advisory services and support policy, finance and age (8%) and land, labor and household size (71%).One hundred (100) respondents were purposively selected using closed ended questionnaires and statistical package for social sciences used as analytical tool, it was noted that standing hay' (8.1%) of the respondents) obtained from natural pastures (54% of the respondents) was the major conservation. Form the study found but that there is no significant relationship between pasture conservation and the gender of the respondents (p>O.05) and no significant relationship between pasture conservation and the level of education of the respondents (p>0.05). Some cultures not allowing some genders like women to do particular activities' and a gap for accessing assets were considered as major reasons for lack of relationship between gender and pasture conservation. Poorly educated people are limited in terms of access to information that could help, them implement new practices and primary education being the elementary Level of education could not allow them to understand the existing problem and then think about the solution were the reasons cited for lack of relationship between level of education and pasture conservation. More women should be encouraged to get involved in pasture conservation, practice and use of baled hay, silage and industrial by-products in addition to standing hay to overcome land shortage, need for a policy to regulate pasture conservation and broadened content and coverage of extension service especially, trainings to address issues about pasture conservation are the recommendations that were put forward