Experimental evidence from a fodder shrub promotional effort among dairy farmers in Uganda

ABSTRACT

Previous research has demonstrated the potential of fodder tree technology (FTT) in bolstering milk yields and quality among small-scale dairy producers. Yet, FTT adoption at recommended levels is low. To suport producers overcome the adoption hurdle,, we conducted a randomised field experiment in Eastern Uganda to compare an innovative add-on intervention designed to address several behavioural-related FTT adoption barriers against a base training and seedling access intervention and a control. We observe a 19% greater increase in new FTT uptake among producers in our two intervention groups. However, we find that our add-on intervention failed to induce a differential effect.

KEYWORDS:

• Fodder shrubs
• dairy
• behavioural barriers
• field experiment
• Uganda

Acknowledgements

The Authors would like to acknowledge the following funders of this research: the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the CGIAR Forest, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) Research Program.

We also greatly appreciate implementation support that was provided by Makerere University (School of Agricultural Sciences), National Forestry Resources Research Institute (NAFFORI), and the Kapchorwa District Landcare Chapter (KADLACC).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. It is worth noting that, following implementation of the field experiment, Manafwa District was subdivided, and the villages that made up the study area now belong to Namisindwa District.

2. We did not ask the households why they dropped out of dairy. However, anecdotally, we understand that farming households in Manafwa District, in particular, frequently buy and sell livestock, and are more focused on producing cash crops, such as coffee.

3. It is conceivable, for example, that producers in the control villages sought out the now accessible and affordable FTT seedlings from the participating nursery operators situated near the treated villages.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; the CGIAR's Research Programme on Forestry, Agroforestry and Trees.

Notes on contributors

Karl Hughes

Karl Hughes is an impact evaluation and community development specialist, who co-leads CIFOR-ICRAF’s Quality for Impact (Q4I) Group, with a focus on its impact assessment and acceleration function. In this role, he supports efforts to facilitate and evidence the translation ICRAF’s research efforts into development impact and directly carries out impact evaluations and other related studies on agroforestry and related interventions. Karl obtained his PhD—focusing on impact evaluation methodology—from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London in 2012.

Judith Beatrice Auma Oduol

Judith Beatrice Auma Oduol works as an Economic Affairs Officer for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. She holds a PhD from Kyushu University in Japan and a Masters from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Prior to joining ICRAF, Judith had worked for over 15 years with several research centres, including World Agroforestry (ICRAF), the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). Judith’s research interests span from impact assessment, production economics, markets, and value chain analysis to policy and institutional analysis.

Hilda Kegode

Hilda Kegode works in CIFOR-ICRAF’s Q4I Group as an Impact Assessment and Acceleration Officer. She is involved in various impact evaluations and data collection exercises, focusing on survey administration, data analysis, and data quality control. She holds an MSc. Degree in Environmental Studies (Environmental Economics) and is currently pursuing a PhD at the Department of Economics, University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Joan Kimaiyo

Joan Kimaiyo works as a Research Assistant in CIFOR-ICRAF’s Q4I Group, where she supports data collection and analysis and impact assessment designs and execution. She obtained as Masters from the Department of Mathematics (Statistics) and Computer Science, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT) in 2011.

Kai Mausch

Kai Mausch works for CIFOR-ICRAF as a senior economist and has been working on rural development for more than 10 years, exploring solutions to rural poverty from both an agricultural as well as the non-agricultural perspective. Before joining CIFOR-ICRAF, he worked for ICRISAT from 2010-2018 where he planned, coordinated and implemented economic projects and program components at both the regional and global level. He received his MSc while working with ICIPE (Nairobi) and in 2009 received his PhD in Economics from the School of Economics and Management, Leibniz University of Hanover, Germany.