Abstract:
Smallholder dairy farming produces milk, meat, draught power, and manure for fertilizer
and fuel, all of which are essential to rural development, agriculture, and food production.
The study investigated smallholder crossbred dairy cattle production current trends and their
impact on livelihoods in three selected areas (Chencha Zuria, Chencha and Arba Minch
town) within the Gamo zone of the South Ethiopia region. Among the 14 districts in the zone,
two towns and one district were purposefully selected due to their accessibility to crossbred
dairy cows. The selection of study Kebeles and households was based on criteria such as the
presence of crossbred dairy cattle and a minimum of 8 years of experience in managing
crossbred dairy cows at the farm level. Using proportional sampling techniques, 138
households were included in the study areas from the total household population in the
selected areas. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed using
statistical package for social sciences. The majorities of sampled households 84.1% were
headed by females and 79.99% were literate (P< 0.05). The average daily milk yield per
crossbred cow was 11.82 ± 10.47 liters, while the average daily milk sold per household was
8.99 ± 10.35 liters, with the highest sales observed in Arba Minch. Chencha town exhibited
the highest average dairy farming experience (21.30 ± 8.793 years), with an overall average
of 16.91 ± 8.68 years (P<0.05). Initially, 72.46% of crossbred cows had a blood level
between 0 and 25%, with variations among locations (80% in Arba Minch, 51.16% in
Chencha town, and 82.35% in Chencha Zuria district). Crossbred dairy cattle with blood
levels between 51 and 75% accounted for 45.65% of the population, with higher percentages
in
Chencha town (46.51%), Chencha Zuria district (45.68%), and Arba Minch
(40%)(P<0.05). Approximately 20.28% of respondents utilized artificial insemination (AI)
services for crossbreeding, with 31.15% accessing AI services from district or town
agricultural offices. In terms of impact, the reasons for rearing crossbred dairy cattle,
ranked from income change is first, new market access is second, feeding change is third,
and new structures fourth. Therefore, focus on sustainable crossbreed dairy cattle extension
services and identify causes of AI failure through assessments and stakeholder engagement
