Beef cattle fattening practices and marketing system in tropical highlands of Ethiopia
This study aimed to evaluate the methods used to fatten beef cattle in the Tembaro area of southern Ethiopia. Woyena Dega (Sub-humid), Dega (Humid), and Kola (Arid) agro-ecological zones were included in this study. Accordingly, six kebeles (two from each agro-ecology) were purposively selected. Mor...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Agriculture and Food Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154323003137 |
| _version_ | 1797385093688328192 |
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| author | Abenezer Wendimu Wondimagegnehu Tekalign Elias Bojago Zekarias Zemarku |
| author_facet | Abenezer Wendimu Wondimagegnehu Tekalign Elias Bojago Zekarias Zemarku |
| author_sort | Abenezer Wendimu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study aimed to evaluate the methods used to fatten beef cattle in the Tembaro area of southern Ethiopia. Woyena Dega (Sub-humid), Dega (Humid), and Kola (Arid) agro-ecological zones were included in this study. Accordingly, six kebeles (two from each agro-ecology) were purposively selected. Moreover, 155 respondents were chosen at random from fatteners who had at least two fattening cattle for interviews and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics and rank indexing were used to analyze the data. The majority of household heads involved in activities related to cattle fattening were male (89 %), and the remaining (11 %) were female. The average livestock holding was 5.4, 4.5, and 9.5 tropical livestock units (TLU) for Woyena Dega, Dega, and Kola agro-ecologies, respectively. The purpose of cattle fattening was primarily for drought power and food security. The fattening experience of the households was between 5 and 20 years in all agro-ecologies. As most (49.7 %) respondents reported, old oxen were the most commonly used class of cattle being fattened. The cattle selection criteria were body conformation (34.2 %) and color (20 %). The duration of fattening was 3–6 months and the preferred season for fattening was summer (45.2 %), followed by religious festivals (34.8 %). Green grass was ranked first, followed by crop residue. The sale of some livestock can be used to purchase land and reinvest in other business ventures. High market demand, the existence of livestock, and the availability of high-quality meat have all been cited as outstanding potential that could be used to boost the effectiveness of the livestock fattening operation in the research region. It should be essential to provide farmers with proper training and extension services on improved cattle fattening technology, management techniques, and market information in order to increase their income and that of the agricultural communities that depend on cyclically accessible feed supplies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:49:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-79cb1c4895404ab7a3af8bf2896e4659 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-1543 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:49:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Agriculture and Food Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-79cb1c4895404ab7a3af8bf2896e46592023-12-20T07:37:29ZengElsevierJournal of Agriculture and Food Research2666-15432023-12-0114100806Beef cattle fattening practices and marketing system in tropical highlands of EthiopiaAbenezer Wendimu0Wondimagegnehu Tekalign1Elias Bojago2Zekarias Zemarku3Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Wolaita Sodo University, PO Box 138, Wolaita Sodo, EthiopiaDepartment of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Wolaita Sodo University, PO Box 138, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia; Corresponding author.Department of Environmental Science, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Wolaita Sodo University, PO Box 138, Wolaita Sodo, EthiopiaDepartment of Rural Development and Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Werabe University, Werabe, EthiopiaThis study aimed to evaluate the methods used to fatten beef cattle in the Tembaro area of southern Ethiopia. Woyena Dega (Sub-humid), Dega (Humid), and Kola (Arid) agro-ecological zones were included in this study. Accordingly, six kebeles (two from each agro-ecology) were purposively selected. Moreover, 155 respondents were chosen at random from fatteners who had at least two fattening cattle for interviews and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics and rank indexing were used to analyze the data. The majority of household heads involved in activities related to cattle fattening were male (89 %), and the remaining (11 %) were female. The average livestock holding was 5.4, 4.5, and 9.5 tropical livestock units (TLU) for Woyena Dega, Dega, and Kola agro-ecologies, respectively. The purpose of cattle fattening was primarily for drought power and food security. The fattening experience of the households was between 5 and 20 years in all agro-ecologies. As most (49.7 %) respondents reported, old oxen were the most commonly used class of cattle being fattened. The cattle selection criteria were body conformation (34.2 %) and color (20 %). The duration of fattening was 3–6 months and the preferred season for fattening was summer (45.2 %), followed by religious festivals (34.8 %). Green grass was ranked first, followed by crop residue. The sale of some livestock can be used to purchase land and reinvest in other business ventures. High market demand, the existence of livestock, and the availability of high-quality meat have all been cited as outstanding potential that could be used to boost the effectiveness of the livestock fattening operation in the research region. It should be essential to provide farmers with proper training and extension services on improved cattle fattening technology, management techniques, and market information in order to increase their income and that of the agricultural communities that depend on cyclically accessible feed supplies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154323003137Agro-ecologyBeef cattleFattening practicesFeed resourcesTembaro district |
| spellingShingle | Abenezer Wendimu Wondimagegnehu Tekalign Elias Bojago Zekarias Zemarku Beef cattle fattening practices and marketing system in tropical highlands of Ethiopia Journal of Agriculture and Food Research Agro-ecology Beef cattle Fattening practices Feed resources Tembaro district |
| title | Beef cattle fattening practices and marketing system in tropical highlands of Ethiopia |
| title_full | Beef cattle fattening practices and marketing system in tropical highlands of Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | Beef cattle fattening practices and marketing system in tropical highlands of Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beef cattle fattening practices and marketing system in tropical highlands of Ethiopia |
| title_short | Beef cattle fattening practices and marketing system in tropical highlands of Ethiopia |
| title_sort | beef cattle fattening practices and marketing system in tropical highlands of ethiopia |
| topic | Agro-ecology Beef cattle Fattening practices Feed resources Tembaro district |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154323003137 |
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