Table 6.
Farmers perceived feed shortage, possible causes and coping strategies in the study area (%)
| Variable | Farm type | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Medium | Large | Total | P value | |
| Do you experience feed shortage in the dry season, yes | 33.3 | 31.5 | 33.3 | 98.1 | 0.361 |
| Perceived causes of feed shortage in the dry season | 0.207 | ||||
| Shortage of land | 24.1 | 16.7 | 14.8 | 55.6 | |
| Poor availability of feeds | 9.3 | 16.7 | 18.4 | 44.4 | |
| Adopted coping strategies to feed scarcity in the dry season | |||||
| Increased use of concentrate feeds | 27.8 | 29.6 | 29.6 | 87 | 0.849 |
| Purchase green feeds | 5.6 | 1.9 | 7.4 | 14.8 | 0.358 |
| Increased use of hay | 25.8 | 22.2 | 24.1 | 74.1 | 0.509 |
| Reduce herd size | 0 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 3.8 | 0.595 |
| Use non-conventional feeds | 18.9 | 18.9 | 11.3 | 49.1 | 0.387 |
| Feed shortage in the rainy season, yes | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0 | 3.7 | 0.595 |
| Causes of feed shortage in the rainy season | |||||
| Water logging on natural grazing lands | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0 | 3.7 | 0.595 |
| Coping strategies to feed scarcity in rainy season | |||||
| Increased use of concentrates and hay | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0 | 3.7 | 0.361 |