Abstract:
This study was conducted in Hosanna town, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia with the objective to identify the challenges and opportunities of urban dairy cattle keeping. A total of 100 key informants were selected randomly and the questionnaire was administered. The male respondents were in larger proportions 70% in the district. The largest percent of the respondents in the study were able to read and write. The mean age (years) of the respondents in the district was 42.92. 100% of respondents in the study keep cattle primarily for milk. Constraints frequently mentioned by dairy cattle keepers in the study area are inappropriate waste management, high cost of inputs (feed and drugs), availability of water, cost and quality of concentrated feed and grass hay, and poor reproductive performance of dairy cows, poor availability of AI technician and a shortage of semen. Increasing recognition of the importance of urban dairy cattle keeping was mentioned as a best opportunity for keepers during focus group discussion. Of the 100 respondents, 60 reported that urban livestock farming contributed to both food security and income generation, 15 reported urban livestock farming contributed to both employment and income generation and 5 reported it contributed to food safety. This study showed that for women urban dairy keeping is a more important activity in terms of income generation. This study also point out that there is a tendency towards a higher workload for women and that child labor, especially girls, is common. In general, the capacity of Hosanna dairy cattle production systems is very limited and undeveloped to cope with the rapidly growing population of the city. Research should address gender issues and strive to develop appropriate technologies, such as improved butter churning, that are focused on the needs of women
Keywords:
Farming, Income generation, Contribution, constraints