Browsing by Author "Mtengeti, Ephraim"

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The effects of a deferred grazing system on rangeland vegetation in a north-western, semi-arid region of Tanzania
(Taylor & Francis, 2013-10-15) Selemani, Ismail S.; Eik, Lars O.; Holand, Øystein; Ådnøy, Tormod; Mtengeti, Ephraim; Mushi, Daniel
The present study assessed the effects of deferred grazing management on rangeland condition using aboveground biomass, vegetation cover and species composition as indicators of range condition. The experi- ment was based on traditionally conserved exclosures (ngitili). Data were collected in Shinyanga rural and Meatu districts, Tanzania, from October to November 2011. Five grazing strategies were compared: old private ngitili, young private ngitili, old communal ngitili, young communal ngitili and continuously grazed land. Aboveground biomass was significantly higher in old private ngitili than continuously grazed land, but there was no significant difference in amount of biomass between communal ngitili and continuously grazed land. The mean percentage basal cover was significantly higher in ngitili than continuously grazed land. The duration of protection (old ngitili compared with young ngitili) was not found to have any significant influence on both aboveground herbaceous biomass production and basal cover. The Shannon–Wiener index and Simpson index of diversity revealed no significant differences in species diversity among the different strategies. Both the continuously grazed land and communal ngitili were generally in poor condition and a special rehabilitation programme for improvement of these fragile grazing lands should be investigated.
Profitability of supplementary feeding of indigenous cattle in dry areas of Tanzania
(Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2020) Ringheim, Alexander Solstad; Mushi, Daniel; Mtengeti, Ephraim; Selemani, Ismail; Åsli, Magnus; Eik, Lars Olav; Kimbita, Elikira; Asheim, Leif Jarle
By 2050, global food consumption is expected to rise by 60% compared to the 2005–2007 level. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the population increase may be as much as 250% by the same period. Hence, there is an urgent need to increase food production and introduce productivity-enhancing measures in SSA agricul- ture, including the livestock sector, which is the main focus of this article. The cur- rent productivity of the Tanzanian livestock sector is low due to seasonal variations in the availability and quality of pasture and other feeds. The cattle gain weight during the rainy season and lose weight in the subsequent dry season. Additionally, pastoralists face challenges due to the conversion of grazing areas into cropland, overgrazing, and the increasingly frequent droughts. Although the optimum age for slaughter is 3.5–4.5 years, farmers in Tanzania slaughter their cows at 5–6 years. This article argues that this may be an unhelpful economical management practice. To study the effects of improved feeding on economic performance, we collected data on on-farm supplementation experiments with indigenous Zebu cattle, in col- laboration with pastoral communities and a large-scale commercial wheat farm in Hanang, Tanzania. The study compared the income and costs associated with tradi- tional cattle keeping (TS) for 6 years at slaughter, with that of two levels of concen- trate supplementation, low (LSS) and medium (MSS), allowing for slaughtering at 4.5 and 3.5 years, respectively. Adjusted net margins for the three systems were 199, 911 and 978 USD, respectively. Our results strongly suggest that farmers should supplement the feeding of their young stock regularly, in times when the animals cannot sustain themselves on grazing alone. The primary explanations for the rec- ommendation were that supplementation would lead to increased production of meat and reduced variable costs, that is, feeds and drugs. Our study was limited to steers. Future studies should include supplementation of cows to obtain annual calv- ing and use of crop by-products instead of concentrates.
A prospective method for overcoming challenges of rehabilitating degraded semi-arid rangelands of Tanzania: a case of Gairo district
(Journal of Continuing Education, 2015-07-01) Maleko, David; Sangeda, Anthony; Mtengeti, Ephraim
Most semi-arid rangelands of Tanzania are highly degraded due to high land use pressures including shifting cultivation and overgrazing. The presence of large patches of bare ground, pronounced soil erosion features such as rills and gullies and high encroachment of both invasive plant species and dense thorny bushes, as well as damaged surface water resources are amongst easily noticeable signs of rangeland degradation. For decades bush clearing, water spreading and reseeding using improved pasture seeds (grass and legumes) have been amongst the proposed rangeland improvement practices to reduce the scarcity of feed during the dry season in communal semi-arid grazing lands. However, these technologies have not been adopted by a wider part of agro-pastoralists in the country. The low adoption rate is attributed to a number of barriers including culture, land tenure, methods used to transfer proven technology and practices, contradictory agricultural policies and unavailability of pasture seeds. In other words, the problem may not be the absence of the relevant technologies for the rehabilitation of these degraded semi-arid rangelands, but rather processes that are used to foster adoption and wise use of these technologies by the wider part of the targeted communities. Home pasture nursery (HPN) is a new innovative approach that was developed and tested in the communal semi-arid rangelands of Gairo district that has indicated high potential for enhancing adoption of pasture production technologies under communal semi-arid grazing systems. Herein, a field experience on HPN is expounded.
The role of indigenous knowledge and perceptions of pastoral communities on traditional grazing management in North-western Tanzania
(Academic Journals, 2012-10) Selemani, Ismail Saidi; Eik, Lars Olav; Holand, Øystein; Ådnøy, Tormod; Mtengeti, Ephraim; Mushi, Daniel
Traditional forage conservation, locally known as “ngitili”, which involves retaining an area of standing vegetation from the beginning of rainy season and opening it up for grazing at the peak of dry season, has become an important strategy for rangeland rehabilitation in the north-western semi-arid part of Tanzania. The present study assessed the current rangeland management practices, the role of indigenous knowledge on ngitili conservation and perceptions of agropastoralists on communal resources management. Data were collected from a total of 10 villages of Shinyanga rural and Meatu district. Over 90% of villagers were agropastoralists, where the mean numbers of specific livestock per interviewed household were 51 cattle, 40 goats, 20 sheep and 7 horses. The two most important traditional rangeland management strategies practiced by agropastoralists in this region were ngitiliconservation and seasonal movement of livestock herds. Management of common resources was perceived to be problematic and most agro-pastoralists shifted from communal rangelands toward individual private ngitili. Interviewed agro-pastoralists claimed that, unequal sharing of benefits accrued from communal resources and poor management of communal ngitili lead to the preference of private ngitili to communal ones. The contribution of indigenous knowledge of Sukuma people lead to the success of ngitili conservation. However, the sustainability of this vital local knowledge is questionable. This paper recommends participatory management that allows integration of existing local knowledge in rangeland improvement.
Variation in quantity and quality of native forages and grazing behavior of cattle and goats in Tanzania
(Elsevier B.V., 2013) Selemani, Ismail Saidi; Eik, Lars Olav; Holand, Øystein; Ådnøy, Tormod; Mtengeti, Ephraim; Mushi, Daniel
The study was conducted to assess the effects of seasonal variation in the quality and quantity of pasture and management of livestock exclosures (ngitili) on the grazing behavior of cattle and goats. The study was 2 2 2 factorial design with three independent variables: season (Dry or Rainy), ngitili management (Private or Communal) and animal species (Cattle or Goats). Focal and scan observation methods were used to record different behavioral activities. Vegetation attributes from the study areas were measured in two consecutive seasons. Most key forage species had significant higher crude protein (CP) content and in vitro organic matter digestibility (INVOMD) in rainy than in dry season (Po0.05), but Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) and Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF) did not vary significantly with season (P40.05). ADF and NDF were significantly higher in species from communal ngitili than those from private ngitili (Po0.05). Above-ground herbaceous biomass and bulk density (BD) were significantly higher in the rainy season and in the private ngitili than in the dry season and in the communal ngitili respectively. Cattle and goats spent considerably more time grazing and browsing respectively in the rainy season than in the dry season (Po0.05). Cattle foraging activities did not vary significantly (P40.05) with ngitili management, but goats found to spend considerably more time browsing in the communal ngitili and more time grazing in the private ngitili (Po0.05). Despite the merits of stocking cattle and goats together in the heterogeneous pasture, seasonal variation in forage resources requires investigation of other strategies such as use of multipurpose trees and treatment of crop residues to improve livestock production.