Drought Impact on Livestock Production and Mitigation Measures by Smallholder Dairy Farmers in Teso South Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Climate change impacts in Busia County have direct effects on reduced and unpredictable rainfalls and indirect effects of reduced availability of livestock fodder for the smallholder dairy farming. Despite the immense contribution of this sub-sector to the county’s Gross Domestic Product, not much has been done to profile the direct effects on smallholder dairy farming and how farmers cope with them. To produce effective strategies for managing and coping with climate variability, there is need for smallholder dairy farmers to differentiate climate-related risks from other agricultural production risks. Clearer understanding of climate-related risks and their associated impacts on livestock production forms the foundation for continued learning and choice of strategies that are likely to enhance mitigation measures. This study therefore delved into understanding the drought impacts and how smallholder dairy farmers in Teso South Sub-County cope with them. Mixed design approach was employed. Primary data was collected using semi-structured interview schedules from 246 smallholder dairy farmers. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics (ANOVA) via SPSS Version 23. Results showed that the impact of drought was moderate but had no statistically significant difference among the various agroecological zones. The study also discovered that the various coping mechanisms of interest were not commonly utilised by farmers but showed significant variations within the three agroecological zones. The study recommended that further research should be done to determine the commonly used drought coping mechanisms in the area since it was apparent that drought had an impact on smallholder dairy production.