Supplementary feeding of dairy cattle in Kenya and India is limited due to several factors. Farmers perceive concentrate feeds to be too expensive and increase the cost of milk production without adequate returns. There are also issues with inappropriate use of feeds, including not knowing when or how much to feed based on nutrient requirements or forage quality. Delivery of feeds faces challenges like lack of quality standards enforcement, adulteration, unqualified staff, and limited and costly testing. Interventions could focus on improving delivery, markets, and quality control of concentrate feeds. Developing strategic feeding guidelines based on diet and production, as well as micro-sizing affordable amounts of supplements, could help promote appropriate use at the farm level. Complete ration feeding approaches show economic advantages

1. Supplementary/compounded feeding in Kenyan and Indian dairy systems – why so little? FAP Symposium on Feed in Smallholder Systems LuangPrabang, Laos, 18-19 November 2010 Ben Lukuyu and Michael Blummel Place photo here 1

3. Increases cost of milk production

6. Poor access2

7. What we know: Concentrate feed value chain in East Africa 3

9. Most farmer use feed ingredients for supplementationMessage: Concentrate use is on the increase 4

10. Inefficiencies in concentrate feed manufacture, delivery and use Delivery related Lack of enforcement of feed standards: Variability in quality/pricing, quality not known/sub standard Adulteration/ counterfeit product packaging Unqualified manufacturing and advisory staff Limited & costly feed testing for quality and variable results from labs Small scale feed millers not recognized (Uganda) Farm(er) related Lack of knowledge on nutrient requirements Recommendations/feeding not based on diet and production Variable forage quantity and quality- (seasonality and opportunistic feeding) Response due to concentrate use not measured Purchase of small quantities affordable to farmers (micro sizing) 5

11. Quality of Dairy Meal on Kenyan market Source: EADD baseline data, 2010 6

12. Complete ration approaches in India Courtesy: Miracle Fodder and Feeds PVT LTD 7

13. Potential of complete rations with dairy buffalo Block High Block Low CP (%) 17.2 17.1 ME (MJ/kg) 8.46 7.37 DMI (kg/d) 19.7 18.0 DMI per kg LW 3.6 % 3.3 % Milk Potential 16.6 kg/d 11.8 kg/d 8

14. What has been done: Concentrate re-allocation Treatment 3: Animals fed 8 kg dairy meal per day for 75 days then hay Treatment 2: 4 kg for 150 days Treatment 1: 2 kg for 300 days 1. Feeding adequate amount in the early lactation results higher milk yields 2. Farmer may need credit facilities. Is it available? 9

15. Complete ration in India: advantages, uptake, outlook Economic advantage over current feeding (largely based on home-mixed supplements) if feed costs >50% of milk price Still adoption slow, under promoted, distorted by subsidies Decentralized rather than centralized production, down-scaled machinery In addition to very targeted (relative to prominent basal diets) supplements Developments of labor cost decisive driver for changes in feeding systems 10

16. Ideas on potential areas of intervention in East Africa Delivery, markets and quality control Formulate action-research interventions on concentrate feed provision: appropriate formulations; micro-sizing; quality control, BDS etc Expand concentrate feed markets – promoting private sector investment in feeds Public sector role in regulating feed supplement/ concentrate) sales appropriately so smallholders have confidence in the products…. Use at farm level Strategic use of supplements/concentrate feeds on smallholder farms Formulation and delivery of commercial feed supplements for small-scale lower-income livestock keepers e.g. NOVUS Developing supplement/concentrate feeds guidelines that based on diet and production 11

17. Thank you for your attention 12