Unlocking the potential of admix

local dairy cattle populations: The

opportunities and frameworks for

increased milk production in low

input production systems

Okeyo, A.Mwai

28th June, 2013, Nairobi, Kenya Africa Livestock International Conference and Exhibition (ALiCE 2013)

Outline

• Introduction-the broader contexts

• Challenges

• Opportunities

• Need for smarter strategies

• Some way forward

• Some conclusions

Mixed intensive systems in the developing World are key but under significant pressure

• More people for feed by 2030

• Smallholders manage approx. 500 million farms and provide 80% of

food consumed in large parts of developing countries

• 150 million cattle increasing to almost 200 million by 2030

• 110% predicted demand increase for dairy products by 2030

• Climate change: Severe water constraints already in some places &

predicted in many regions (limited forage production & breed/species

choices) -- need for resilient & productive breed types

• In E. Africa 70 % of milk is produced by smallholders, but productivity

remains low (Need for increased efficiency)

Globally, most people are (and will be) in

mixed crop – livestock systems

area ( million km2)

35.2

14

16.9

9.8

agro-pastoral

mixed extensive

mixed intensive

other

population (millions)

295.1

1099.2

2674

480.3

Figure 1b: Milk production trends - developing country regions

Source: FAOSTAT

050

100

150

Mill

ion tonnes

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

East and Southeast Asia Latin America and Caribbean

Near East and North Africa South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

In SSA- production is low &

not increasing as much!

The challenges and opportunities

Some challenges

• Low production and productivity

• Diseases (ECF & trypanosomosis) highly limit expansion

• Smallholder are too fragmented (input and market service delivery

costly)

• Poor quality input/support services

• Less attractive to the youth (low tech!)

• Poor supportive rural, financial and technical infrastructure

• Still and increasing competition from alternative enterprises (horticulture

and real estate)

• Not “cheap” for 1st entrants (an in-calf heifer costs US$ 60-1800)

• Generally no long term breeding programs in place (camels, cattle)

Maximum (dark coloured) and minimum (light coloured) levels of milk

production for different genotypes of cattle in Sub-Saharan Africa A. Exotic Cattle

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Milk

Yie

ld p

er L

acta

tio

n (

Kg)

Southern Africa West and Central

Africa

East Africa

208.5% 90.2% 157.0%

B. Crossbred Cattle

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Milk

Yie

ld p

er L

acta

tio

n (

Kg)

Southern Africa West and Central

Africa

East Africa

132.0% 65.1% 312.6%

C. Indigenous Cattle

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Milk

Yie

ld p

er L

acta

tio

n (

Kg)

(K

g)

Southern Africa West and Central

Africa

East Africa

170.1% 236.8% 199.1%

Better strategies

is needed!

Mwacharo et al., 2009

Huge opportunities to

increased wealth creation

& food security

some not

good enough

• high calf mortality rates

• long calving intervals (>>15 months)

• low milk production

• mainly forage based diets & inadequate

Breed can be separated: PC1 vs PC2 Indigenous

and hapmap; 566k snp

Ankole

Nganda

SEAZ

N’dama

Nelore

Hol

Jer

Guern

Pure

indigenous

Xbred classified as

indigenous

Breed separation now possible: PC1 Vs PC2 DGEA all

data + Hapmap; 566k snp

Crossbred cows

0

5

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BUTERE KABRAS KAPTUMO METEITEI SIONGIROI

Mea

n M

ilk y

ield

LacStage(50) per breed per site

Mean milk yield per cow by Site & Breed

Yield

Most calves are starving, thus permanently limiting their dairy potential

Dairy Genetics East Africa Project 2013

Opportunities

• Huge and increasing demand (SSA is mostly a deficit region and

110% by 2030) is predicted hence offering market opportunities

• Large & diverse admix population of cattle exist

• New technologies (reproductive, genomic and IT) are available now

– New generation of vaccines and enabling policies for their use,

– Cell-phone and faster computer technologies allows for new recording &

feedback systems

– Faster breed improvement and new genetics possible

– delivery of new breed can ways of recording and information exchange

from which improvement can be made

• Increased investment interest and willingness by the public, private

sector and NGOs

Dairying still compelling as means to

better livelihoods for poor smallholders…

Mr and Mrs Daniel Munyasia

(Kwhisero): 2 dairy cows, 3

calves in 3 years; peak at 18

litres per day. Bought a new

farm, healthier children. Now

multi-enterprise – bananas,

vegetables…

Mary Adhiambo Were

(Bumala): Initially a desperate

widow, with no house: now

banks about 10k per week, has

built a new house, started

poultry unit.

30% of shs will transform

Diverse

Genetics & systems

Large populations of admix & crossbreds

of variable genetic merits already exist

In Eastern Africa alone there are>26 million milking cows, 55% of which

are crosses; Assuming 70% are females, 60% of which are

reproductively active, with only 50% AI usage and each cow needing

1.3 inseminations per conception (4 million doses), each charged at rate

of US$15 each, then we have an industry worth US$59million

annually.

Individual animal

snp maps from

structure

analysis

Smarter strategies needed

Different

Environments require

different genetics!

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

Harsh Poor Good

Production environment

Yie

ld (

l) Indigenous

X-bred

Exotic

Better match needed: optimum genotype depends on

environment

Milk yes, but!

Money is not only made from milk sales:

– Reduced input costs are important:

- forced culling

- poor reproduction

- purchase of extra replacements

- avoid extra vet expenses.

0.65

0.7

0.75

0.8

0.85

0.9

0.95

1 S

(t)

Time= days after birth

Europe

Kenya

South Africa &

Israel

Survival to Age at 1st calving of Holstein Friesians in a Kenyan Commercial farm

25% and 34% of

heifers culled prior to

AFC & 4 yrs of age

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

Estim

ate

d b

ree

din

g v

alu

e(E

BV

)

Years

Genetic trend

800

850

900

950

1000

1050

1100

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

AF

C(d

ays)

Years

Phenotypic Trend

Performance evaluation is necessary

raw records can

be deceptive

New opportunities throuh In-Vitro Fertilization & Embryo Transfer

Abattoir

Lab

Contracted

Farm(s)

Using ovaries from dead

cows, female embryo’s

can be developed in the lab

Embryos then transferred to

grow within recipient cows

At < 4 yrs of age cow is able to have

>800 daughters through OPU & IVEP!

OPU

IVF & IVM

Indigenous donor cows

Why focus on admix & crossbreds?

• Don’t performance record, hence prone to breeding

mistakes made elsewhere (e.g. inbreeding)!

• Selected local breeds and crossbreds fit existing systems

• Would improve productivity and broaden income base:

• Increase calf and cow survival rates

• Increase conception rates and shorten CI

• Increase cow longevity (reduce replacement costs)

• Lower somatic cell counts (lower vet cost)

• Better feed utilization

• Heavier cull cows and faster growing bull calves

Most smallholders are not breeders, but are milk producers so

they should use genetics that give them higher profits?

Possible way forward

Who has the best cow?

Use cell phone tech to

verify this or near real

time basis

What is the genetic

compositions

use genomic

technology to

determine this

Use reproductive

tech. (IVEP) to

harvest & multiply

and ET to deliver

Smart use of emerging technologies

But good infrastructure

and enabling policies

are needed

Rwanda

cow

databas

e Rwanda

cow

databas

e

Cattle

Goats

Sheep

Rwanda

cow

databas

e

Internet/Cloud

Cattle

Goats

Sheep Rwanda

cow

databas

e

Cattle

Goats

Sheep

Connectivity to

multiple country and

species databases via

MySQL/ODKs

Multiple colours

represent

databases for

various

participating

countries

Connectivity

via text

message

and web

The National

Databases/Gene

banks Controller

audits and

manages

inputted from

farmers—eg

Connectivity to Central

Database via web and

application platforms

Individual

farmers in

participating

countries

Governments, NGOs

and other interest

groups

Data

server

National Databases Controller

Dire

ct d

ata

entr

y th

rou

gh

co

llabo

rative

pro

jects

Regional

Genetics and

Breeding

Platform (PPP)

AI-Services Records Health reports Conformation -Milk Adaptability -Body Weights -Fertility

Information From Countries

Pedigree information Genetic evaluation information Breeding plans Basis for management decisions: Dairy, Sales, Feeds, Health, etc.

Feedback to Farmers

Centralized Recording

Breeding Services Extension

Genetic Evaluation

Research

Livestock breeding platforms and why?

• Large pool of admix already exist from which selective

breeding would be feasible

• Small herds, hence pooling is the logical option

• National programs currently too small with inadequate

infrastructure & capacity

• Allow effective population of purebreds with local and

international genetic links to enable genetic evaluation

• Technologies (IT & genomic) exist to enable data

collection, timely synthesis and feedback across borders

• Create incentives for investments in local dairy genetics

business

• More prudent use of existing international and regional

resources and institutional frameworks

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Year

Kg ECM

Swedish Red (SRB)

Swedish Holstein (SLB)

2% total increase per year

1-1.5% genetic change per year

Example: Annual milk yield for SRB & SLB cows 1955-2005

Source: Philipsson, 2010

Some conclusions • Productivity of smallholder dairy herds currently too low, improvement

in input service, infrastructure, institutional & policy frameworks needed to support sustainable improvements.

• Strategies and huge mind set changes needed (e.g. pooling of herds etc.)

• Genetic diversity and population of admix & crossbred cattle are high, enough to provide a basis for effective breed improvement , but viable business models & financing systems needed

• Development of a locally adapted and productive dual purpose cattle breed-type is technically feasible and economically viable –but enabling institutional & policy frameworks required

• Regional genetic improvement platforms to sustainably support implementation of livestock genetic improvement programs is proposed

• Strengthening of the local capacity to sustainably manage and deliver/share locally improved cattle genetics needed

Thank

you