Abstract:
Dairy production is a biologically efficient system that converts large quantities of roughage in the tropics to milk. Milk production levels are determined by the levels of technologies applied to the dairy enterprise. However, information on levels of adoption of dairy technologies especially in the arid and semi-arid areas (ASALs) of Kenya is scanty. This study thus sought to evaluate the extent of adoption of modern dairy technologies and its impact on milk production in Nzaui Sub-County of Makueni County which is one of the ASAL counties in the country. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design involving the use of questionnaires was used to collect relevant data from a total of 306 livestock keeping households in Kawala, Ndovea and Matiliku sublocations. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and logit regression estimations with the help of SPSS econometric software. The study showed that the adoption of improved dairy technologies was low, about 13% across the study sites. Over 96% of the farmers’ conserved livestock feeds, while 63% of the farmers used animal supplementation technologies. Factors which influenced farmer rearing of improved animal types included gender, marital status, and income levels. For fodder conservation technologies, the most important factors included marital status, training, and extension services. The adoption of animal supplementation was influenced to a great extent by income levels and occupation rather than household endogenic factors. In regards to milk yield, farmers with larger farm sizes, more incomes and training access were better placed to achieve high milk yields than those with lesser of those characteristics. It was concluded that there is need for gender-specific interventions to enhance increased adoption of improved livestock technologies by farmers especially in regards to access to improved germplasm by all farmers. Access to improved dairy cattle is the first step to enhancing milk yield, followed by other interventions. Other areas of interventions include enhanced access to technologies that promote fodder production and promotion of access to credit facilities for acquisition of dairy breeds.
