Introduction of forage choppers in livestock production systems in Tanzania
Lazaro, E.A|Turuka, F.M.|Mdowe, N.S.Y / 1999

Future intensive and suitable livestock production systems, requires a thorough knowledge of the potentials and limitations of the system. Forage availability is one of the important factors determining the potential of a given ruminant livestock production system. It is more important in intensive and semi-intensive systems where livestock are zero grazed. A project is conducted in livestock systems in Arumeru Districts aimed at improving forage availability by introducing a forage chopper. The methodology used to introduce the choppers involved four stages; i) exploratory survey, ii) training workshop iii) dissemination and iv) monitoring and evaluation. The use of forage chopper has: i) improved the efficiency of forage utilization about 75% ii) reducing labour required for forage gathering more than 50% and iii) reduced women’s labour. The project has also created awareness of the existence of the technology for forage handling and identified possibilities for improving the technology. The positive the intensive response to the technology is an indication of the existence of a high potential for improving the intensive and semi-intensive livestock systems through the introduction of labour saving technologies