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THE Sunday Mail Business Reporter Tapiwanashe Mangwiro sat down with Dr Edson Chifamba, a dairy industry expert and project coordinator of the Transforming Zimbabwe’s Dairy Value Chain for the Future (TranZDVC) project. The initiative, which commenced in January 2019, seeks to address root causes of the underperformance of the dairy value chain. The project’s lead implementer, WeEffect, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), partnered with the Government of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers (ZADF), the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) and the Zimbabwe Dairy Industry Trust (ZDIT) to address challenges in the dairy sector. The interview explored the various strategies Zimbabwe’s dairy sector is implementing to boost production, as well as limit the ravaging impact of the El Niño-induced drought.
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Q: Dr Chifamba, what strategies and initiatives are you, as stakeholders in the dairy sector, currently implementing to increase milk production in Zimbabwe?
A: Efforts to boost Zimbabwe’s dairy industry include increasing livestock and breeding, with both public and private sectors involved in importing dairy heifers. We are aiming to reduce dairy costs from 76 percent to below 45 percent of total variable costs. The initiatives focus on prudent high-protein on-farm feed production.
Comprehensive training of dairy farmers, conducted by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and the Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers, as well as private sector players, ensures high standards of skills, good attitude and aptitude. The Government’s Command Silage scheme provides cereal and legume inputs for silage and fodder.
The EU (European Union)-funded project, the TranZDVC initiative, which ran from 2019 to 2023, entailed collaboration between players in the sector and the Government to support the dairy value chain. It provided 14 large-scale dairy processors and farmers with €40 000 grants each for dairy productive assets, benefitting at least 10 small-scale farmers each.
Additionally, 36 milk collection centres and small-scale processors received €10 000 grants each, while 22 medium-scale farmers received €10 000 each, and 850 small-scale farmers received €2 000 each to support their dairy enterprises. The project imported 500 in-calf dairy heifers, which were distributed to 288 small-scale farmers on a 1:1 match basis, facilitated through dairy services and ZADF.
Q: Can you share any specific initiatives or programmes aimed at growing the milking herd and improving the calving rate?
A: There is continued training by the Government and other dairy value chain players to ensure growth in the milking herd and improve the calving rate. Livestock additions are being made through dairy animal importation and breeding programmes.
The Government and the African Union-Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) have embarked on a resilient African feed and fodder system programme to assist in fodder provision.
Under the just-ended €7 million project, TranzDVC capacitated more than 5 000 dairy farmers with 500 in-calf dairy heifers and/or matching grants for procurement of productive dairy assets.
Q: Given the challenges posed by the current drought, how are dairy farmers in Zimbabwe coping with increased feed prices and shortages of hay?
A: The Government has declared the last cropping season a state of disaster, enabling dairy farmers to benefit from various Government packages. Drought has significantly impacted dairying, leading to water shortages for animals and crops, and reduced yields of pasture, hay and silage. To manage the dryland crop environment, several methods are being employed.
These include improved soil and water conservation practices, reduced tillage systems and optimising the fit between crop growth cycles and available moisture. Additionally, effective weed control and soil fertility management, in relation to the water regime, are crucial strategies being implemented.
Q: What alternative feed sources or supplements are being utilised to ensure that dairy cattle maintain adequate nutrition during this drought period?
A: Some organised farmers still have maize silage and grass hay from the previous season, while others have to be innovative through the use of wild pods, monkey bread, high-protein shrubs and trees.
Tree legumes are potential sources of good quality fodder during drought, as they are less susceptible to climatic fluctuations than herbaceous plants.
Their deep roots enable them to use moisture and nutrients that are beyond the reach of most herbaceous plants.
Q: Are there any innovative feeding practices or technologies being adopted to mitigate the impact of feed scarcity?
A: In developed countries, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven feed and nutrition optimisation become essential during dry spells. Given the severe feed shortage, AI systems can assess the available resources and create cost-effective, nutrient-dense diets for your cows.
Unfortunately, most of our farmers are not yet there, hence they need to be innovative with the available resources.
The on-farm production of drought-resistant high-quality forage is one option available to the farmers. Growth of drought-resistant, high-protein subtropical legumes like velvet bean, cowpea and lablab is key for animal survival in smallholder dairy schemes. Some farmers use various farm by-products like chicken droppings to boost protein in dairy feeds.
Both the Government and development partners have been sinking solar-powered boreholes to provide constant water. Irrigation programmes have also helped Zimbabweans to build resilience to the droughts and erratic rainfall that wreak havoc on fodder growth.
Q: What is the average milk production per cow per day in Zimbabwe at present?
A: Currently, the national milk production is 14 litres per cow per day, but we aim to reach 18 litres per cow per day.
Q: How do you see the future of dairy farming in Zimbabwe, particularly in terms of sustainability and resilience against climate variability?
A: The future of dairy farming in the country is looking bright and I would not be surprised if, by 2025, the nation achieves the targeted annual production of 150 million litres.
Vulnerability to drought can be reduced if a strict drought plan is developed and adhered to. A drought plan should have three primary organisational components: monitoring or early warning, assessment of impact, and response.
The monitoring committee must track all principal indicators of water availability and meet frequently to determine the spatial extent and severity of drought conditions. The Government has been very supportive of drought-affected farming communities.
There should also be a deliberate focus on the production of climate-smart fodder, such as fodder that is resistant to drought, pests and diseases. The grown feed crops should also lead to reduced methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Dairy farmers should build cattle shades so that the animals are not heat-stressed.
Q: Lastly, Dr Chifamba, are there any long-term plans or policies in place to support dairy farmers in adapting to climate challenges and ensuring consistent milk production?
A: The Government came up with important measures to assist farmers by allowing the use of GMO (genetically modified organisms) maize for feed production and also by unveiling the Command Silage system, where farmers access both cereal and legume seed for fodder production.
The NGO sector has been and will hopefully continue funding agricultural activities to ensure complementarity with Government activities.
The Government also developed a Livestock Growth Plan, which was complemented by TranzDVC’s Dairy Strategic Plan 2022-2025. These documents serve as the road map for the dairy sector. To date, there is also an electronic dairy database, which enables dairy value chain players to access reliable and accurate dairy data.
Online Reporter