Browsing by Author "Laswai, Germana Henry"

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    A monitoring study on the production performance and enteric methane emission from the dairy cows under smallholder farms in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania
    (International Journal of Animal Science and Technology, 2025-09-23) Ngesi, Anitha Carlos; Laswai, Germana Henry; Msalya, George Mutani; Lyatuu, Eliamoni Titus; Komwihangilo, Daniel Mshumbusi
    A total of 54 lactating dairy cows from 20 farms in Hai District were monitored to assess production performance and methane (CH4) emission under different feeding practices and altitude zones. Of the selected farms 8 were in the highland zone and 12 in the lowland zone. In the lowland, cows were managed under zero grazing (FP1), grazing with supplementation (FP2) and extensive grazing (FP3), while all highland cows were managed under FP1. Measurements included body weight, nutrients intake, milk yield and composition and CH4 emission. Feedstuffs were also analysed for their nutritive values. The results showed that, daily dry matter intake (DMI), crude protein intake (CPI) and metabolisable energy intake (MEI) were higher (P<0.05) in cows under FP1 (11.1 kg, 1.2 kg and 117 MJ, respectively) than those in FP2 (9.8 kg, 938 g and 90 MJ) and FP3 (7.5 kg, 539 g and 45.3 MJ). Similarly, cows in the highland zone had higher (P<0.05) DMI, CPI, and MEI (11.7 kg, 1.3 kg, and 121.9 MJ) than those in the lowland zone (11.1 kg, 1.18 kg, and 117.1 MJ). Weight gain was highest (P<0.05) in FP1 (0.35 kg/d), followed by FP2 (0.21 kg/d), and lowest in FP3 (0.11 kg/d). Cows in the highland zone had significantly higher weight gain 0.46 kg/d) compared to those in the lowland zone 0.35 kg/d). Daily mean milk yield followed a similar trend, with cows under FP1 producing the highest (9.0 kg), followed by FP2 (6.8 kg) and FP3 (4.7 kg). Across zones, milk yield was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the highland (11.2 kg) than in the lowland (9.0 kg). Milk from cows under FP3 had slightly higher (P<0.05) lactose content (4.4%) than those under FP1 and FP2, while cows under FP1 produced milk with higher solids-non-fat (SNF) content (8.5%). Milk from lowland cows contained more (P<0.05) fat (4.0%), protein (3.6%), total solids (12.0%) and solids-non-fat (8.5%) than milk from highland cows. Mean gross methane emission did not differ significantly among feeding practices but was higher (P<0.05) in the highland zone (265 g/d) than the lowland zone (149.9 g/d). Methane intensity was similar (P>0.05) across feeding practices and zones. It was concluded that cows under FP1 achieved higher production performance by producing higher milk yield per unit of methane emitted compared to other feeding practices. Further research is recommended to evaluate the effects of different supplementation levels on production performance and methane emission.
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    Implications of land use land cover change and climate variability on future prospects of beef cattle production in the lake Victoria basin
    (American Journal of Climate Change, 2015) Kashaigili, Japhet Joel; Zziwa, Emmanuel; Ernest, Siwa; Laswai, Emma; Segatagara, Bernard Musana; Mpairwe, Denis; Kadigi, Reuben Mpuya Joseph; Ebong, Cyprian; Mugasi, Samuel Katambi; Laswai, Germana Henry; Mupenzi, Mutimura; Ngowi, Polycarp Jacob; Kadigi, Ibrahim Lwaho
    This paper presents the lessons learnt from a research project titled “Improving Beef Cattle Pro- ductivity for Enhanced Food Security and Efficient Utilization of Natural Resources in the Lake Victoria Basin” which includes Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. The key focus is on the implications of land use land cover change and climate variability on the future prospects of beef cattle produc- tion in this region. The study utilizes information and data from natural resources and climate components to deduce the impact of land use and land cover changes on climate variability. Addi- tional analysis is conducted to summarize the land use and land cover data to carry out analysis on climate data using the Mann-Kendal test, linear regression and moving averages to reveal patterns of change and trends in annual and seasonal rainfall and temperature. The findings reveal that the study areas of Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) have changed over time following land cover manipulations and land use change, coupled with climate variability. The grazing land has been converted to agriculture and settlements, thereby reducing cattle graz- ing land which is the cheapest and major feed source for ruminant livestock production. Although the cattle population has been on the increase in the same period, it has been largely attributed to the fact that the carrying capacity of available grazing areas had not been attained. The current stocking rates in the LVB reveal that the rangelands are greatly overstocked and overgrazed with land degradation already evidenced in some areas. Climate variability coupled with a decrease in grazing resources is driving unprecedented forage scarcity which is now a major limiting factor to cattle production. Crop cultivation and settlement expansion are major land use types overtaking grazing lands; therefore the incorporation of crop residues into ruminant feeding systems could be a feasible way to curtail rangeland degradation and increase beef cattle production.