Characterization of Rabbit Production Systems in Kenya

Transcription

1 Characterization of Rabbit Production Systems in Kenya J K Serem 1, M M Wanyoike 1, C K Gachuiri 1, S K Mailu 2, P K Gathumbi 1, R N Mwanza 3, N Kiarie 1, D K Borter 3 1 College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, University of Nairobi, Kenya 2 Kenya Agricultural Research Institute 3 Ministry of Livestock Developments, Kenya Corresponding Author s drjserem@gmail.com ABSTRACT Rabbit production systems in Kenya were studied; challenges to production were identified and recommendations to boost rabbit productivity were suggested in this research. Four regions of Kenya with significant rabbit farming were selected: Rift valley (Nakuru county), Central (Kiambu and Nyeri counties), Eastern (Meru county) and Coastal (Taita Taveta county) regions. Data were obtained through a field survey, questionnaires and personal observations between August and September The study covered the key areas of rabbit production including: general farm details, number of rabbits, breeds and breeding practices, housing, feeds and feeding practices, Constraints to production and recommendations appertaining to the key production challenges. Results showed that rabbit production in Kenya were mainly small scale (84.8%) principally for income generation and home consumption (89.6%). The majority (75%) of the rabbit farms were owned by either the household heads or by the spouses. Farmers of higher education levels kept more rabbits compared to those of lower education. The main breeds kept were New Zealand white (29%), Crossbreeds (24%), Californian white (12%), Chinchilla (11.5%), Dutch (8%), Flemish Giant (5.5%) and French Lop (4%). The main breeding stocks were selected from own stocks or from the neighboring farms (90%). Exchange of males (bucks) for breeding was observed among some rabbit farmers, either for free or at an agreed fee. The four most important challenges to rabbit farming were rabbit diseases (71%), lack of market for rabbits (51%), inadequate husbandry (28%) and lack of quality breeding stock (15.5%), insufficient funds (11%) and lack of rabbit feeds (8.7%). To address these challenges, sensitization of the Kenyan population on the benefits of rabbit meat consumption should be promoted, farmers should be trained on proper husbandry practices, better breeding stocks must be introduced to the farmers to avoid inbreeding, research on rabbit feeding and disease management must be improved to provide information on proper husbandry practices so as to boost rabbit productivity. Keywords: rabbit farming; rabbit breeds; rabbit feeding; rabbit challenges. I. INTRODUCTION Nearly all of the world population depend on food produced on small farms which have continued to get smaller as the human population pressure increases (McIntire et al., 1992). Currently, most of the consumed animal protein is from large ruminants, poultry and pigs. However, ruminant livestock is decreasing due to decline in household land holdings because of the high costs of maintenance (Schiere, 2004). On the other hand, poultry and pigs require more of commercial feeds which often incorporate ingredients leading to direct competition for food resources with humans and are usually too expensive for most small scale farmers. To address these challenges therefore, rabbits (Oryctolagus caniculus) are a viable option, because of their prolificacy, early maturity, fast growth rate, high genetic selection potential, high feed conversion efficiency and economic utilization of space (Lebas et al. 1997; Hassan et al. 2012). In Kenya, rabbit keeping was for a long time considered an activity for young boys who kept them as a hobby (MOLD, 2004). However, the interest in rabbit keeping for commercial purposes has been renewed. The population of rabbits was estimated to be about 600,000 with the greatest numbers in the Rift valley, Central and Coastal regions (MOLD, 2010). The development of the rabbit sub-sector in Kenya has been hindered by lack of documentation of rabbit production systems and constraints to rabbit keeping (Borter and Mwanza, 2011), which necessitated this study. The main objective of our study was to collect baseline information on the current status of rabbit production in Kenya, identify the main constraints to production and suggest appropriate intervention measures to improve rabbit productivity. II. MATERIALS AND METHODS A. Sources of Information and Period of Study Data were obtained through a field survey, structuredquestionnaire administration and personal observations between August and September B. Scope Information on the general farm details, rabbit numbers, breeds and breeding practices, housing structures and equipments, Common feeds and feeding practices, 155

2 Figure 1. Proportion of the household members owning rabbits. constraints to production and suggestions to address the challenges were collected. C. Study Area The regions were purposively selected based on significant rabbit farming (MOLD, 2010). The four regions were: Rift valley (Nakuru county), central (Kiambu and Nyeri counties), Eastern (Meru county) and coastal (Taita taveta county) regions. D. Sample Size The sample size was based on the rule of a minimum 30 respondents per county (strata) (Cohen, 1988). However, due to the vastness of the counties and in an effort to capture variations due to land use intensity and agro-ecological zones, 60 rabbit farmers in each of the counties were randomly selected. This also took into consideration the fact that larger samples more accurately represent the characteristics of the populations from which they are derived (Cronbach et al. 1972; Marcoulides, 1993). E. Data Management and Analysis By the end of the research period, 300 questionnaires had been delivered. Chi squares and t tests were then used to establish significant differences and relationships in various aspects of rabbit production. Data analyses were performed with the statistical pack SAS v9.0 (SAS Institute Inc., 2002) III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS A. Farmer and Farm Characteristics Of the total (n=300) farmers interviewed, 53% were male while 47% were female. The sex proportion of the respondents did not differ significantly. Among the respondents, 27% were young (19 30 years), 58% adults (31-60 years) and 15% mature adults (above 60 years). The proportions of the rabbit owners in the households were variable (fig. 1). Rabbit keeping was undertaken by all the household members unlike the past, when the activity was relegated to the youth hobbyists (MOLD, 2004). This indicated that the sector was undergoing commercialization since the adults kept rabbits either for income or for food. Figure 2. Average number of rabbits owned per farmer educational level. This observation agrees with those of Borter and Mwanza (2010) and Hungu et al. (2013), who conducted similar studies in other regions of Kenya. The farmers level of education conditioned the number of rabbits kept significantly (p=0.0009; fig. 2). Farmers with mid-level and university education appeared to keep more rabbits mainly for commercial purposes (62%), while those of basic education (Primary and High school) kept fewer rabbits mainly for subsistence (55%). This implies that farmers with higher education levels were more commercially oriented, obtained more benefits from using new farming technologies, made better use of information from Ministry of livestock development and media enabling them to make more informed production decisions compared to those of lower education standards. As a result, their farms were more productive than those of lower education standards. These results are in agreement with Mendoza et al. (2008) in Mexico. Majority (84.8%) of the farmers were of small scale while those of medium and large scales were less numerous (15.2%; Table I). The dominance of small scale rabbit producers could be attributed to limited resources, inadequate technological knowhow and limited market access which may have prevented farmers from expanding their companies. Borter and Mwanza (2010) reported that inadequate funds and limited information are the main factors hindering commercialization in Kenya. The dominance of small-scale operations has also been reported in other developing countries, with poor husbandry knowledge and funds for expansion cited as the main causes (Colin and Lebas, 1996; Lukefahr, 2007; Oseni et al. 2008). TABLE I. SCALE OF PRODUCTION BASED ON THE NUMBER OF DOES KEPT. Number of does Scale of operation Frequency Percentage 0-2 Ultra small-scale % 3-10 Small-scale % Medium-scale % > 50 Large-scale 8 2.4% Classification scale as by Oseni et al. (2008). 156

3 B. The Main Objectives of Keeping Rabbits The main objectives of rabbit keeping were both for sale and home consumption (89.6%). Other less important purposes were as pets and source of farm manure (10.4%; fig. 3). Despite the main objective being for sale, majority (65%) of the respondents had not sold any rabbits, reflecting the underdeveloped market system. However, during the same period, majority (73.6%) of respondents had slaughtered rabbits for home consumption hence achieving the second most important objective (home consumption). This was slightly different from Nigeria where similar studies by Oseni et al. (2008) and Abu et al. 2008, revealed household food source to be the main objective with occasional sales. Figure 3. Main objectives for keeping rabbits. C. Rabbit Breeds and Breeding Practices New Zealand White (29%), Crossbreed (22%) and Californian White (12%) were the most common breeds kept. The most common crossbreeds were those between New Zealand and Californian rabbit (25%) and those of Chinchilla and New Zealand White (20%), which was between the most common pure breeds justified by the ready availability of their breeding stocks on the farms (fig. 4). Figure 4. Rabbit breeds and proportions (%) kept by farmers in study area. NZW, New Zealand White; CW, Californian; FG, Flemish Giant; CC, Chinchilla, FEL, French Lop; DU, Dutch; ER, English rabbit; CB, Checkered back; ANG, Angora; CRSS, Crossbred; KW, Kenyan White; ANG, Angora. New Zealand and Californian rabbits were the most common because their breeding stocks were readily available (43% and 38% respectively). Larger litter sizes and good mothering abilities were also cited for their popularity. The larger breeds such as the French Lop and Flemish Giant were mostly (80%) preferred for meat production. Borter and Mwanza (2010) and Hungu et al. (2013) had also observed similar trends. The most common breeds observed in this study (New Zealand White and Californian rabbit) have also been reported to be most popular breeds for meat production in other parts of the world due to their good growth characteristics and a high meat: bone ratio (Lebas et al. 1997; Mailafia et al. 2010; McNitt et al. 2000). The majority (90%) of the farmers selected their breeding bucks from their own stocks or through exchange with their neighbours since these were the cheapest and reliable sources. The main reason why breeding stocks should be sourced off-farm is to avoid inbreeding. However, this may not rule out inbreeding in Kenya as rabbits reared by most farmers originated from the same source, the National Rabbit Multiplication Centre, Ngong. Lack of breeding records further worsened the situation as this made development of a reliable breeding program difficult. The non existence of organized rabbit breeding programs is a characteristic of the developing countries (Onifade, 1999). D. Rabbit Housing Caging was the most predominant form of housing (87%), compared to non-caged housing (13%). Most of the farmers using caged housing systems cited ease of management as opposed to non-caged systems, where the routine husbandry practices were difficult to carry out, and therefore encouraging rapid spread of rabbit diseases. Caged housing has been recommended in Europe by the ARRP (2003) due to its advantages of close rabbit monitoring and better disease control. The cages were mostly at one-level tier (67%) as opposed to multiple-tier systems (33%). This clearly reflected on the low-level housing as majority of the farmers were of small scale (Table I). The larger proportion of onelevel tier system was also reported by Oseni et al. (2008) in Nigeria, attributing this to ease of design and low costs of construction. A wide variety of construction materials were used for constructing the rabbit hutches. Hutch roofs were mainly made of iron sheets (95.3%), walls made of either wood (28%) or a combination of wood and wire mesh (30%) while the floors were mainly made of wood (67%). These materials were mostly low-cost and were easy to find in the farming areas of Kenya. The use of the locally available materials especially wood to construct rabbit hutches was also described by Oseni et al. (2008) in a similar study in Nigeria, stating affordability and ready availability as the main reasons for their use. The use of locally available construction materials for rabbit housing is amenable to participation of resource-poor farmers in rabbit production 157

4 as suggested by Lukefahr et al. (2000) in Cameroon, where rabbits were used to empower women and children. However, Schiere (2004) encouraged the use of wire mesh as opposed to wood for the floor so that the maze can letdown the droppings reducing disease incidences. This is because a wooden floor would soak up urine and ammonia which would accumulate in the hutch and also difficult to keep clean. E. Rabbit Feeds and Feeding Management Majority of the farmers (57.2%) fed their rabbits on locally available forages with minimal concentrate supplementation (fig. 5). The level of concentrate supplementation in the form of pellets ranged from 20 g to 150 g with an average rate of 70 g per rabbit and day. However, most of the farmers did not provide daily supplement, but rather and only when the concentrates were available. The low level of feed inputs where forages form the greater proportion of the rabbit diet in Kenya have also been reported by Borter and Mwanza (2010) and Cheeke (1986) in other developing countries. Furthermore, in this study, the intensity of feeding reflected on the production levels and indirectly to the purposes for which the rabbits were kept. For instance, Producers with lower rabbit numbers (7.2, on average) used mostly locally available forages as the sole diet and kept the rabbits mainly for home consumption. On the other hand, those with relatively larger number of rabbits (23.8, on average), mainly for commercial purposes, supplemented their rabbits with commercial feeds (concentrates). F. Challenges to Rabbit Production in Kenya The most important production challenges encountered in the study areas were: Rabbit diseases (71%), lack of market for rabbits (51%), inadequate knowledge on rabbit husbandry practices, lack of quality breeding stock (15.5%), insufficient funds for expansion (11%) and inadequate Figure 5. Percentage of farmers using each feed type and average number of rabbits kept. LOCAFOR, locally available forages; PURCONC, purchased concentrates; HMECONC, homemade concentrates; LOCAFOR & PURCONC, locally available forages and purchased concentrates; LOCAFOR & HMECONC, locally available forages and homemade concentrates. rabbit feeding (8.7%). The absence of reliable sources for quality genetic stocks of rabbits, inadequate feeds, lack of funds and poor marketing system was also reported by Oseni et al. (2008) in a similar study in Nigeria. Lack of awareness on the benefits of consuming rabbit meat consumption influenced the consumer preference for other meats such as chicken over rabbit in Burkina Faso (Hoffman et al. 2004). In addition to the poorly developed market, Schiere, (2004) noted unavailability of both veterinary drugs and experienced animal health experts on rabbit diseases to be a hindrance to rabbit farming. IV. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Small-scale production systems directed towards home consumption and income generation were the most predominant in this study. The most popular rabbit breeds were New Zealand white and the Californian rabbit due to their readily available breeding stocks and ability to multiply rapidly. Caged housing made of locally available materials was the most common. Low input feeding was common, with a majority of farmers using locally available forages with or without supplements. The main challenges included: rabbit diseases, lack of market for rabbits, poor breeding stocks, inadequate funds and insufficient feeds. Currently, there are efforts to commercialize rabbit farming by the Kenyan Government through the revival of rabbit multiplication centres to allow easy access to quality breeding stocks by farmers. However, these multiplication centres are few and due to high demand for rabbits, farmers are forced to queue for a long time eventually resorting to other sources, the fellow farmers. This therefore calls for additional rabbit multiplication centres. Further, rabbit husbandry information and hutch plans are still not available in the Ministry of Livestock Development and if available, farmers do not get this information due to inefficient livestock extension services. Agricultural credit facilities for farmers are mostly offered by the commercial banks but farmers still cannot access such funds due to high interest rates and probably inability to service the loans due to other production challenges such as rabbit diseases and poor marketing system. To improve on the local marketing system, Sensitization of the Kenyan population on the benefits of consuming rabbit meat should be emphasized. Farmers also should be trained on proper husbandry practices such as breeding, feeding, disease management and record keeping. Last but not least, research on rabbit feeding and disease management should be enhanced so as to provide information on proper husbandry practices to boost rabbit productivity. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The following persons and organizations are acknowledged: National Council for Science and Technology for providing funds for this project, the authors for their inputs, Ministry of livestock development for the logistical support and finally all the respondent farmers for participating in the survey. 158

5 REFERENCES Abu, A., Onifade, A.A., Abanikanda, O.T.F., Obineye, R.I Status and Promotional Strategies for Rabbit Production in Nigeria. In: 9th World Rabbit Congress. Verona. Pp.: ARRP Guidelines for the Housing of Rabbits in Scientific Institutions. Guideline 18 August Animal Research Review Panel. Orange, NSW. Borter, D.K., Mwanza, R.N Rabbit production in Kenya, current status and way forward. In: Proceedings of Annual Scientific Symposium of the Anumal Production Society of Kenya. Driving Livestock Entrepreneurship towards attainment of Food sufficiency and Kenya Vision Animal Production Society of Kenya. Nairobi. Pp.: Cheeke. P.R Potentials of rabbit production in tropical and subtropical agricultural systems. Journal of Animal Science 63, Cohen, J Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Erlbaum. Hillsdale, NJ. Colin, M., Lebas, F Rabbit meat production in the world. A proposal for every country. In: Proc. 6th World Rabbit Congress, 1996 July, Vol. 3. Toulouse. Pp.: Cronbach, L.J., Gleser, G.C., Nanda H., Rajaratnam, N The dependability of behavioral measurements: Theory of generalizability for scores and profiles. Wiley. New York, NY. Hassan, H.E., Elamin, K.M., Yousif, I.A., Musa, A.M., Elkhairey, M.A Evaluation of body weight and some morphometric traits at various ages in local rabbits of Sudan. Journal of Animal Science Advances 2, Hoffman, L.C., Nkhabutlane, P., Schutte, D.W., Vosloo, C Factors affecting the purchasing of rabbit meat: A study of ethnic groups in the Western Cape. Journal of Family Ecology and Consumer Sciences 32, Hungu, W. Gathumbi, P.K., Maingi, N., Ng ang a, C.J Production characteristics and constraints of rabbit farming in Central, Nairobi and Rift-valley provinces in Kenya. Livestock Research for Rural Development 25, Article #3. Lebas, F., Coudert, P., de Rochambeua, H., Thébault, R.G The rabbit Husbandry, Health and Production. FAO Animal Production and Health Series No. 21. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome. Lukefahr, S.D Strategies for the development of small- and medium-scale rabbit farming in South-East Asia. Livestock Research for Rural Development. 19, Article #138. Mailafia, S., Onakpa, M.M., Owoleke, O.E Problems and prospects of rabbit production in Nigeria - A review. Bayero Journal of Pure and Applied Science 3, Marcoulides, A Maximizing power in generalizability studies under budget constraints. Journal of Educational Statistics 18, McIntire, J., Bouzert, D., Pingali, P Crop-Livestock interactions in sub-sahara Africa. World Bank. Washington, DC. McNitt, J.I., Patton, N.M., Lukefahr, S.D., Cheeke, P.R Rabbit Production. 8th Ed. Interstate Printers and Publishers. Danville, IL. Mendoza, B.J., Díaz, Z.S., Velázquez, O.V., Alonso, F.M.U., Ortega B.E Social and economic contribution of rabbit production in the State of Mexico. In: 9th World Rabbit Congress. Verona. Pp.: MOLD Annual Report, Department of Livestock Production. Ministry of Livestock Development. Nairobi. MOLD Annual Report, Department of Livestock Production. Ministry of Livestock. Nairobi. Onifade, A.A., Abu, O.A., Obiyan, R.I., Abanikanda, O.T.F Rabbit production in Nigeria: Some aspects of current status and promotional strategies. World rabbit science, 7, Oseni, S.O., Ajayi, B.A., Komolafe, S.O., Siyanbola, O., Ishola, M., Madamidola, G Smallholder Rabbit Production in Southwestern Nigeria: Current Status, Emerging Issues and Ways Forward. In: 9th World Rabbit Congress. Verona. Pp.: S.D. Lukefar, H. I. Nkwocha, H. Njakoi, E. Tawah, J. M. Akob, F. A. Kongyu, R. M. Njwe and D. Gudahl. (2000). Present status of Heifer ProjectInternational-Cameroonrabbit program: Back to the future. World rabbit science. Vol 8. Number 2: SAS Institute Inc SAS v9.0. Cary, NC. Schiere, J.B Agrodok 20 Backyard rabbit farming in the tropics (4th Edition). Agromisa Foundation, Wageningen. 159