Southwestern Uganda annually experiences prolonged drought that results in dramatic drop in milk production of dairy cattle. This study was conducted to assess the nutritional value and economic benefits of feeding silage and hay to dairy cattle in the sub-region. The cross-sectional study covered seven districts with 105 farmers interviewed during the wet and 45 others in the dry season. Up to 88 soil samples were collected and analyzed for soil texture, soil pH, organic matter and total Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Sodium and Magnesium. Likewise, 148 forage (105 fresh, 25 silage and 18 hay) tissues from 21 pasture species were collected and analyzed for nutritional values. Using a questionnaire, data on production costs and milk revenues were collected for cost-benefit analysis. Results showed that silage of Napier grass treated with molasses (10.2 MJ/kg) and hay of naturally established pastures (10.6 MJ/kg) had the highest metabolisable energy (ME) values, while the lowest (8.30 MJ/kg) was for star grass. Hay of star grass presented the highest level of crude protein (21.4%) with maize (corn) showing the lowest (9.38%). Digestibility of hay of naturally established mixed pastures was the highest (64.4%), followed by that of silage of Napier grass treated with molasses (62.0%), while star grass hay had the lowest (52.6%). With exception of silage made from maize, all the other six forms of silage had a good crude protein (CP) content. Regardless of the good CP content (≥9.9%), all silage untreated with additives was poor in quality since its ME was less than 9.9 MJ ME/kg and ration digestibility less than 67%. Nonetheless, feeding of silage and hay increased milk yield and farm productivity with a benefit-cost ratio of 5.5 and 2.7 for silage and hay respectively.

Tree species play a significant role in sustaining the productivity of grazing lands. However, information on appropriate species to use in restoring degraded grazing areas is limited. This study used 120 trees to assess the effect of 8 tree species on pasture diversity, abundance and biomass. This was done in a total of 960 quadrats of 1 m 2 established under tree canopies and 5 m away from the edge of tree canopies. In each quadrat, the different pasture species and their ground cover were recorded. The pastures were harvested, weighed and their biomass recorded. Results of analysis by Shannon-Wiener's index indicated that pasture diversity was almost the same under and outside tree canopies (H = 1.8 and H = 1.78 respectively), but pasture abundance was significantly higher under tree canopies (p < 0.05). Ficus natalensis and Albizia coriaria had the highest pasture abundance under their canopies. Pasture biomass never varied significantly under and outside tree canopies but between tree species, F. natalensis had a significantly higher positive influence on pasture biomass than other species. It was discovered that F. natalensis and A. coriaria have a higher potential for restoring degraded grazing areas in Southwestern Uganda.

In Uganda, control of ticks and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs) largely depends on the use of chemicals applied using different methods. This cross-sectional study assessed 17 factors to determine the effectiveness and limitations in the use of the recently adopted acaricide application methods on dairy cattle farms in south-western Uganda. The average annual morbidity and mortality due to tick-borne diseases were 42.6 and 30.0% for farms using bucket pumps, 9.3 and 4.2% for those using motorised pumps and 3.0 and 1.0% for spray races, respectively. For a 20-year period, the estimated cost of acaricide application for a herd of 80 head of cattle was US$ 71,042, US$ 38,694 and US$ 28,710 when using a bucket pump, spray race and a motorised pump, respectively. Bucket pump method may only be cost-effective on farms of 40 to 112 head of cattle, while a motorised pump was only economical for farms of 35 to 170 cattle and a spray race being a better option at farms of 100 to 600 cattle. Farmers should make the most appropriate choice of acaricide application method to achieve the most effective control of TTBDs on their farms.