9 0 HUSBANDARY- 9.3 - MAKING A DECISSION ON ANIMAL HUSBANDARY

 

ORGANIC FARMING COURSE AGRO-ECONOMY

9 0 HUSBANDARY- 9.3 - MAKING A DECISSION ON ANIMAL HUSBANDARY

There are several reasons for taking up animal husbandry as a part of your farming activities or even as the main one. There are also several critical aspects to be taken into consideration. In order to decide on whether and how to get involved in animal husbandry, you should ask yourself a number of questions:

IS MY FARM SUITABLE?

Do I have enough space for shedding and grazing, enough fodder or by-products to feed, enough know-how on keeping, feeding, and treating the specific kind of animals?

WILL THE ANIMAL BENEFIT MY FARM?

Can I use the dung in a suitable way? Will I get products for my own consumption or sales? Will the animals somehow affect my crops?

CAN I GET THE NECESSARY INPUTS?

Is enough labour available within or outside my farm? Is enough fodder and water of good quality available throughout the year? Will remedies and veterinary support be available, if needed? Can I get suitable breeds of animals?

WILL I FIND A MARKET FOR THE PRODUCTS?

Does anyone want to buy my milk, eggs, meat etc.? Is the price worth the effort? Am I able to compete with other farmers?

WHAT DO ANAIMALS NEED?

Organic farmers try to achieve healthy farm animals which can produce satisfyingly over a long period of time. To achieve this goal, various needs of farm animals must be considered:

→ Fodder in adequate quality and quantity; for non-ruminants: diversity in fodder is usually required.

→ Sufficient access to clean drinking water.

→ Clean sheds of enough size and with adequate light and fresh air.

→ Sufficient freedom to move around and perform their natural behaviour.

→ Healthy conditions and veterinary follow-up, when needed.

→ Sufficient contact with other animals, but no stress due to overcrowding.

→ For herd animals: an appropriate age and sex distribution within the herd.

 

Organic animal husbandry means not only feeding organic food and avoiding synthetic food additives and synthetic medicines (e.g. antibiotics, grow hormones), but also focusing on satisfying the various needs of the farm animals. Good health and welfare of the animals are among the main objectives. Suffering due to mutilations, permanent tethering or isolation of herd animals must be avoided as much as possible. For various reasons, landless animal husbandry (i.e. fodder purchased from outside the farm, no grazing land) is not permitted in organic farming.

 

HOW MANY ANIMALS TO KEEP?

In order to identify the appropriate number for a specific kind of animal on a farm, the following points should be considered:

→ Availability of fodder on the farm, especially in periods of scarcity

     (e.g. dry season).

→ Carrying capacity of pastures.

→ Size of existing or planned sheds.

→ Maximum amount of manure the fields can bear.

→ Availability of labour for looking after the animals.

 

In tropical countries, farm animals are frequently found to be underfed. When defining the number of farm animals, keep in mind that the economic benefit will be higher when fewer animals are kept, but fed well. Not only the amount, but also the quality of the available food must be taken into consideration.

 

 

 

TIPS of the picture:

·         Habits: enough move

·         Fodder: diverse, enough quantities

·         Health: hygienic conditions

·         Treatment if needed

·         Contact: no isolation, now crowding

·         Sheds: enough, space and light

·         Water: enough and clean

·         Herds: appropriate age and sex distribution

 

WHAT FARM ANIMALS NEED –

FOR EXAMPLE, CHICKENS HAVE VARIOUS NEEDS WHICH SHOULD BE FULFILLED SIMULTANEOUSLY

 

KOZI YA KILIMO HAI KILIMO-UCHUMI

9 0 UFUGAJI- 9.3 - KUFANYA UAMUZI KUHUSU UFUGAJI WA MNYAMA

 

Kuna sababu kadhaa za kuchukua ufugaji kama sehemu ya shughuli zako za kilimo au hata kama moja kuu. Pia kuna vipengele kadhaa muhimu kuzingatiwa. Ili kuamua ikiwa na jinsi ya kushiriki katika ufugaji, unapaswa kujiuliza maswali kadhaa:

 

SHAMBA LANGU LINAFAA?

Je, nina nafasi ya kutosha kwa ajili ya kumwaga na kuchungia malisho, malisho ya kutosha au mazao ya ziada ya kulisha, ujuzi wa kutosha juu ya kufuga, kulisha, na kutibu aina mahususi ya wanyama?

 

JE, MNYAMA ATAFAIDA SHAMBA LANGU?

Je, ninaweza kutumia kinyesi kwa njia inayofaa? Je, nitapata bidhaa kwa matumizi yangu au mauzo? Je, wanyama kwa namna fulani wataathiri mazao yangu?

 

JE, NAWEZA KUPATA PEMBEJEO MUHIMU?

Je, kazi ya kutosha inapatikana ndani au nje ya shamba langu? Je, lishe ya kutosha na maji yenye ubora mzuri yanapatikana kwa mwaka mzima? Je, tiba na usaidizi wa mifugo utapatikana, ikiwa inahitajika? Je, ninaweza kupata mifugo inayofaa ya wanyama?

 

JE, NITAPATA SOKO LA BIDHAA?

Je, kuna mtu anataka kununua maziwa yangu, mayai, nyama n.k.? Je, bei hiyo inafaa kujitahidi? Je, ninaweza kushindana na wakulima wengine?

 

WANYAMA WANAHITAJI NINI?

Wakulima wa kilimo-hai hujaribu kupata mifugo yenye afya bora ambayo inaweza kuzalisha kwa kuridhisha kwa muda mrefu. Ili kufikia lengo hili, mahitaji mbalimbali ya wanyama wa shamba lazima izingatiwe:

→ Lishe katika ubora na wingi wa kutosha; kwa wasiocheua: utofauti wa malisho kwa kawaida huhitajika.

→ Upatikanaji wa kutosha wa maji safi ya kunywa.

→ Safisha shehena za ukubwa wa kutosha na zenye mwanga wa kutosha na hewa safi.

→ Uhuru wa kutosha wa kuzunguka na kufanya tabia zao za asili.

→ Hali ya afya na ufuatiliaji wa mifugo, inapohitajika.

→ Mgusano wa kutosha na wanyama wengine, lakini hakuna mkazo kutokana na msongamano.

→ Kwa wanyama wa mifugo: umri unaofaa na mgawanyo wa jinsia ndani ya kundi.

 

Ufugaji wa wanyama haimaanishi tu kulisha chakula cha kikaboni na kuepuka viungio vya chakula na dawa za sanisi (k.m. antibiotics, homoni za kukua), lakini pia kuzingatia kutosheleza mahitaji mbalimbali ya wanyama wa shambani. Afya njema na ustawi wa wanyama ni miongoni mwa malengo makuu. Kuteseka kwa sababu ya ukeketaji, kufungwa kwa kudumu au kutengwa kwa mifugo lazima kuepukwe iwezekanavyo. Kwa sababu mbalimbali, ufugaji wa wanyama bila ardhi (yaani lishe iliyonunuliwa kutoka nje ya shamba, hakuna ardhi ya malisho) hairuhusiwi katika kilimo hai.

 

UFUGE WANYAMA WANGAPI?

Ili kutambua nambari inayofaa kwa aina maalum ya mnyama kwenye shamba, mambo yafuatayo yanapaswa kuzingatiwa:

→ Upatikanaji wa malisho shambani, hasa nyakati za uhaba

     (k.m. kiangazi).

→ Kubeba uwezo wa malisho.

→ Ukubwa wa sheds zilizopo au zilizopangwa.

→ Kiwango cha juu cha samadi shamba linaweza kuzaa.

→ Uwepo wa vibarua kwa ajili ya kuchunga wanyama.

 

Katika nchi za tropiki, wanyama wa shambani mara nyingi hupatikana wakiwa na lishe duni. Wakati wa kufafanua idadi ya wanyama wa shamba, kumbuka kwamba faida ya kiuchumi itakuwa ya juu wakati wanyama wachache wanahifadhiwa, lakini kulishwa vizuri. Si tu kiasi, lakini pia ubora wa chakula inapatikana lazima kuzingatiwa.

 

TIPS za picha:

• Mazoea: hoja ya kutosha

• Lishe: aina mbalimbali, kiasi cha kutosha

• Afya: hali ya usafi

• Matibabu ikihitajika

• Mawasiliano: hakuna kutengwa, sasa kunasongamana

• Mabanda: ya kutosha, nafasi na mwanga

• Maji: ya kutosha na safi

• Mifugo: umri unaofaa na usambazaji wa jinsia

NINI WANYAMA WA SHAMBANI WANAHITAJI -KWA