Post-war development of pastoral-based dairy production systems and future prospects in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Abstract Pastoral-based dairy production systems in northern and eastern Sri Lanka have completely been destructed during the thirty-year-long civil war. Lack of current scientific information about these systems has restricted the planning and implementation of post-war dairy development programmes in the region. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the current situation of pastoral-based dairy production systems in the Northern Area of Sri Lanka. Data were collected from a survey of 100 dairy farmers, key informant interviews, and observations. Feed and water samples were also collected for laboratory analysis. According to the survey, extensive management system (78%) is predominant in the region followed by semi-intensive (16%) and intensive (6%) systems. Indigenous crosses of cattle were the main breed in extensive and semi-intensive systems. Sahiwal crosses were reared in the intensive system. Cattle in the extensive system fed on poor-quality forages available on roadsides, common lands, uncultivated paddy fields and marginal forest lands. Forages were supplemented with concentrate feed ingredients, vitamin and mineral mixture in the intensive management system. Farmers in the semi-intensive system used similar feeding sources to that of extensive system and concentrate feed ingredients in addition. Irrigation canals, village tanks and concrete ponds were the main sources of drinking water in the extensive system while cattle under semi-intensive system depended on water available on concrete ponds, village tanks and dug wells. Farmers in the intensive systems used the water in dug wells. The water available in the above sources was poor in quality with a high amount of dissolved solids and high electrical conductivity according to the laboratory analysis. The daily milk yield per cow was significantly higher in the intensive system (2.23 L/cow/day ± 0.28) compared to extensive (1.12 L/cow/day ± 0.08) and semi-intensive (0.90 L/cow/day ± 0.19) systems. Farmers sell their milk to village collectors or collecting centres belong to Milco (a government milk processor) which is the only buyer of milk in the region. According to the SWOT analysis of all three systems, low productivity of cows, limited availability of grazing lands during the paddy cultivation season, low availability and poor quality of water, theft and wild animal attacks were found to be the biggest challenges encountered by the farmers. Programmes need to be targeted enhancing the quality of herds and availability of pasture and fodder to improve dairy production systems in the region to support rebuilding the livelihoods of war affected families.