This booklet presents sixteen 'practice briefs' which are popular publications based on 1... more This booklet presents sixteen 'practice briefs' which are popular publications based on 12 Master and one Bachelor theses of Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (VHL). All theses were commissioned through the research project entitled 'Inclusive and climate smart business models in Ethiopian and Kenyan dairy value chains (CSDEK)'. The objective of this research is to identify scalable, climate smart dairy business models in the context of the ongoing transformation from informal to formal dairy chains in Kenya and Ethiopia.
The current paper reports on the main findings emerging from a research alternative to the two do... more The current paper reports on the main findings emerging from a research alternative to the two dominant paradigms in agricultural development. This alternative is both context-driven and problem-focused on the rapidly developing East African market-oriented agriculture that demonstrates high economic growth rates based on high-value market-driven commodity chains. The approach to this innovative research in high-value chains includes information feedback loops that bring back translated reports regarding market requirements, retailers’ requests, tailor made production techniques, etc. These reports include price determining information like preferences for certain quality attributes such as colour, size, and texture in addition to extrinsic quality attributes such as food safety, production method, as well as the values that are embedded in certified organic, environmental issues or place of origin. The research was conducted in close collaboration with farmers to increase the adopt...
This study was conducted to investigate challenges of integrating livestock into organic pineappl... more This study was conducted to investigate challenges of integrating livestock into organic pineapple farming so as to develop strategies to enhance integration of livestock for purposes of improving soil fertility for sustainable organic pineapple productivity among smallholder farmers. Such sustainable integrated production of crops and livestock was envisaged to improve quality of organic pineapples and animal products that can easily tap into niche organic markets. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, individual interviews were conducted among selected smallholder certified organic pineapple farmers in Kayunga and Luwero districts of Uganda.
Organic livestock production can be considered as a system of production that better fulfills ani... more Organic livestock production can be considered as a system of production that better fulfills animal needs, promotes use of organic and biodegradable input for production and reduce the use of conventional veterinary treatments. As demand for organic dairy products increases in Kenya, especially in Nairobi, so does the need to supply the growing demand. Increased diversification of organic production is needed to meet the growing demand. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the potential, challenges and feasibility of integrating organic milk production in smallholder crop-livestock farms in Kiambu and Kajiado counties of Kenya and validate the efficacy of Tephrosia vogelii Hook., Tephrosia villosa Pers., and Carica papaya Linn. leaves and Carica papaya Linn. against gastrointestinal nematodes. Data was obtained through purposive cross-sectional survey of 55 certified organic crop producers with dairy cattle. It was complemented with additional information from l...
Improving on-farm management practices to increase resource use efficiency and productivity can b... more Improving on-farm management practices to increase resource use efficiency and productivity can bring benefits for farmers’ incomes, resilience and food security, while reducing GHG emissions from agricultural activities. Extension services (advisory and other technical services) play an important role in providing farmers with access to information on production practices, technologies, inputs and markets. Extension service provision is therefore a key mechanism to promote up-scaled adoption of climate smart agriculture practices.
Organic production principles aim at achieving good animal health and welfare of livestock. The o... more Organic production principles aim at achieving good animal health and welfare of livestock. The objective of the present study was to investigate animal management, health and welfare in smallholder dairy farms in Kenya, Africa, and to be able to give recommendations which can guide organic livestock production practices as specified by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and the East Africa Organic Product Standard. A longitudinal study of 24 farms was conducted to document and assess management practices and their potential effect on animal health and welfare. Observation and documentation of animal housing design, cleanliness, feeding management and types of feed available to the cows, milking management, disease and pest management was done in the Kiambu and Kajiado Counties of Kenya. An analysis was performed for indicators of health and welfare with husbandry type, aspects of the housing system, farm characteristics, and management routines. The avera...
n Feed and fodder production, supply and feeding practices are among the most important constrain... more n Feed and fodder production, supply and feeding practices are among the most important constraints on the development of the Kenyan dairy industry. Increasing fodder supply, supported by advice provided to farmers on feed ration balancing has great potential to enable farmers to increase onfarm productivity, reduce the dip in milk production during the dry season, increase incomes and reduce GHG emission intensity.
Abstract Many East African smallholder farms with certified organic crop production, also rear an... more Abstract Many East African smallholder farms with certified organic crop production, also rear animals. Although farming systems are mixed, there is often very little integration and synergy between the different enterprises. The aim of this article is to suggest and discuss different development scenarios for organic dairy production, based on data from three East African studies of dairy production at certified organic cash crop farms. The following questions are explored for two categories of ‘model farms’ in Kenya and Uganda, respectively: 1) Can smallholder farmers benefit from keeping organic dairy cattle, and under which conditions can it be viable, given the current challenges? 2) How can the dairy production be integrated into the farm and create synergy with the different farm elements? 3) What would need to change if their milk was to become certified organic and farmers had to comply with organic principles and standards for dairy farming? Based on data and estimates from on-farm case studies at Kenyan and Ugandan smallholder dairy farms, in combination with literature, potential development scenarios are outlined. The study concludes that there are good possibilities for more local recirculation of feed and manure, although with limited benefits when there are only few animals with short lactations on the farm. Involvement of local communities in feed production and use of grazing areas seems to be a good option to the mutual benefit of both. If certified organic smallholder farms should diversify their income through sale of organic milk, they would need a secure market. Depending on the cost of certification, these farms will only benefit from sale of organic milk if they can produce milk year round at a scale, which allow them to benefit from the effort to give animals organic feed, an effort including establishment of grazing and local feed production that comply with organic standards. Outdoor stay and grazing continue to challenge many smallholder milk producers especially with Holstein Friesian types of cows, and more robust breeds are needed. In addition, many smallholders do not have sufficient land to permit grazing around their homesteads, where the animals live. Organic standards regarding animals need improvement and precision, especially requirements for grazing areas and feed. Certification comprising whole farms including the animals, and not only crops for export, will enhance crop-animal integration.
This booklet presents sixteen 'practice briefs' which are popular publications based on 1... more This booklet presents sixteen 'practice briefs' which are popular publications based on 12 Master and one Bachelor theses of Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (VHL). All theses were commissioned through the research project entitled 'Inclusive and climate smart business models in Ethiopian and Kenyan dairy value chains (CSDEK)'. The objective of this research is to identify scalable, climate smart dairy business models in the context of the ongoing transformation from informal to formal dairy chains in Kenya and Ethiopia.
The current paper reports on the main findings emerging from a research alternative to the two do... more The current paper reports on the main findings emerging from a research alternative to the two dominant paradigms in agricultural development. This alternative is both context-driven and problem-focused on the rapidly developing East African market-oriented agriculture that demonstrates high economic growth rates based on high-value market-driven commodity chains. The approach to this innovative research in high-value chains includes information feedback loops that bring back translated reports regarding market requirements, retailers’ requests, tailor made production techniques, etc. These reports include price determining information like preferences for certain quality attributes such as colour, size, and texture in addition to extrinsic quality attributes such as food safety, production method, as well as the values that are embedded in certified organic, environmental issues or place of origin. The research was conducted in close collaboration with farmers to increase the adopt...
This study was conducted to investigate challenges of integrating livestock into organic pineappl... more This study was conducted to investigate challenges of integrating livestock into organic pineapple farming so as to develop strategies to enhance integration of livestock for purposes of improving soil fertility for sustainable organic pineapple productivity among smallholder farmers. Such sustainable integrated production of crops and livestock was envisaged to improve quality of organic pineapples and animal products that can easily tap into niche organic markets. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, individual interviews were conducted among selected smallholder certified organic pineapple farmers in Kayunga and Luwero districts of Uganda.
Organic livestock production can be considered as a system of production that better fulfills ani... more Organic livestock production can be considered as a system of production that better fulfills animal needs, promotes use of organic and biodegradable input for production and reduce the use of conventional veterinary treatments. As demand for organic dairy products increases in Kenya, especially in Nairobi, so does the need to supply the growing demand. Increased diversification of organic production is needed to meet the growing demand. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the potential, challenges and feasibility of integrating organic milk production in smallholder crop-livestock farms in Kiambu and Kajiado counties of Kenya and validate the efficacy of Tephrosia vogelii Hook., Tephrosia villosa Pers., and Carica papaya Linn. leaves and Carica papaya Linn. against gastrointestinal nematodes. Data was obtained through purposive cross-sectional survey of 55 certified organic crop producers with dairy cattle. It was complemented with additional information from l...
Improving on-farm management practices to increase resource use efficiency and productivity can b... more Improving on-farm management practices to increase resource use efficiency and productivity can bring benefits for farmers’ incomes, resilience and food security, while reducing GHG emissions from agricultural activities. Extension services (advisory and other technical services) play an important role in providing farmers with access to information on production practices, technologies, inputs and markets. Extension service provision is therefore a key mechanism to promote up-scaled adoption of climate smart agriculture practices.
Organic production principles aim at achieving good animal health and welfare of livestock. The o... more Organic production principles aim at achieving good animal health and welfare of livestock. The objective of the present study was to investigate animal management, health and welfare in smallholder dairy farms in Kenya, Africa, and to be able to give recommendations which can guide organic livestock production practices as specified by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and the East Africa Organic Product Standard. A longitudinal study of 24 farms was conducted to document and assess management practices and their potential effect on animal health and welfare. Observation and documentation of animal housing design, cleanliness, feeding management and types of feed available to the cows, milking management, disease and pest management was done in the Kiambu and Kajiado Counties of Kenya. An analysis was performed for indicators of health and welfare with husbandry type, aspects of the housing system, farm characteristics, and management routines. The avera...
n Feed and fodder production, supply and feeding practices are among the most important constrain... more n Feed and fodder production, supply and feeding practices are among the most important constraints on the development of the Kenyan dairy industry. Increasing fodder supply, supported by advice provided to farmers on feed ration balancing has great potential to enable farmers to increase onfarm productivity, reduce the dip in milk production during the dry season, increase incomes and reduce GHG emission intensity.
Abstract Many East African smallholder farms with certified organic crop production, also rear an... more Abstract Many East African smallholder farms with certified organic crop production, also rear animals. Although farming systems are mixed, there is often very little integration and synergy between the different enterprises. The aim of this article is to suggest and discuss different development scenarios for organic dairy production, based on data from three East African studies of dairy production at certified organic cash crop farms. The following questions are explored for two categories of ‘model farms’ in Kenya and Uganda, respectively: 1) Can smallholder farmers benefit from keeping organic dairy cattle, and under which conditions can it be viable, given the current challenges? 2) How can the dairy production be integrated into the farm and create synergy with the different farm elements? 3) What would need to change if their milk was to become certified organic and farmers had to comply with organic principles and standards for dairy farming? Based on data and estimates from on-farm case studies at Kenyan and Ugandan smallholder dairy farms, in combination with literature, potential development scenarios are outlined. The study concludes that there are good possibilities for more local recirculation of feed and manure, although with limited benefits when there are only few animals with short lactations on the farm. Involvement of local communities in feed production and use of grazing areas seems to be a good option to the mutual benefit of both. If certified organic smallholder farms should diversify their income through sale of organic milk, they would need a secure market. Depending on the cost of certification, these farms will only benefit from sale of organic milk if they can produce milk year round at a scale, which allow them to benefit from the effort to give animals organic feed, an effort including establishment of grazing and local feed production that comply with organic standards. Outdoor stay and grazing continue to challenge many smallholder milk producers especially with Holstein Friesian types of cows, and more robust breeds are needed. In addition, many smallholders do not have sufficient land to permit grazing around their homesteads, where the animals live. Organic standards regarding animals need improvement and precision, especially requirements for grazing areas and feed. Certification comprising whole farms including the animals, and not only crops for export, will enhance crop-animal integration.
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Papers by Charles Odhong