Dairy cattle manure utilization by smallholder dairy farmers in West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Besides producing milk and other products, dairy farms also generate manure polluting the environment. This study aims to identify smallholder dairy farmers' utilization of dairy cattle manure in West Java and the reasons that hinder it. This study uses IndoDairy end-line survey data, covering 410 dairy farmers in four districts in West Java (Bandung, Garut, Cianjur, and Bogor) in December 2021. A qualitative descriptive analysis was employed. The results show that only 42.8% of smallholder dairy farmers in West Java utilized cattle manure for fertilizer, a source of energy (biogas), and/or media for raising earthworms. At the same time, the rest, 57.2%, discharged it into their surroundings. Among the reasons the smallholder dairy farmers did not appropriately manage the manure were as follows: too difficult to adopt the technology (27.5%), high adoption cost (21.0%), farmers are already satisfied with the current practices (10.1%), limited input availability (9.5%), limited land (9.0%), lack of information of technology (8.1%), and many labors are needed (7.8%). Given the environmental problem that can be caused and the economic potential of dairy waste, the government should provide efficient and practical dairy waste management technology accompanied by intensive training and assistance.