The Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Project (EAAPP) aims to increase agricultural productivity and growth in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. For the dairy component in Uganda, EAAPP has addressed constraints like inadequate feeds, poor breeding practices and diseases. Key achievements include: developing Napier grass varieties tolerant to disease; improving cattle genetics through selection and crossbreeding; and developing technologies to control ticks and diseases. Over 2000 farmers have been trained in better pasture management and breeding practices. Purebred exotic cattle have been imported and crossbred with local stock. Artificial insemination has been promoted to disseminate improved genetics. Overall EAAPP has contributed significantly to improving smallholder dairy production in Uganda.

1. The contribution of the Eastern Africa
Agricultural Productivity Project in
improving smallholder dairy cattle
production in Uganda
1
Lukwago, G., 2
Kabirizi J., 2
Kirunda H., & 2
Oluka J.
1
EAAPP-PCU, Entebbe
2
National Livestock Resources Research Institute

2. Introduction
Agriculture and Africa’s development
Agricultural growth in Africa must remain high (on the
order of 6% annually) and derive from enhanced
productivity if the sector is to contribute to growth,
structural change, and poverty reduction.
The Agricultural sector is characterized by low
productivity.
The Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Project
(EAAPP) addresses the constraints related to low
productivity in cassava, wheat, rice and dairy in the
project countries of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and
Ethiopia.

3. EAAPP goal and objectives
EAAPP Goal
The overall goal of EAAPP is to contribute to increased
agricultural productivity and growth.
Objective
To strengthen and scale up regional cooperation in
generation of technology, training, and dissemination
programs for regional priority commodities.

4. Specific objectives
Enhance regional specialization in agricultural research;
Increase regional collaboration in agricultural training
and dissemination; and,
Facilitate increased sharing of agricultural information,
knowledge and technology across national boundaries.

5. EAAPP-Uganda Dairy Component
The major constraints affecting dairy production in
Uganda are inadequate feeds and poor feeding
systems, reproductive inefficiency, poor breeds,
breeding programmes and policies; and diseases and
the associated vectors.
EAAPP has addressed these constraints through the
project’s 3 components namely Capacity building,
Technology generation, training and dissemination;
and improved availability of livestock germplasm

6. Component 2 Technology Generation
Outcomes
Number of Napier grass varieties tolerant to Napier stunt
disease developed.
Genetically improved cattle lines for higher milk and meat
yields available among the farming communities.
Increased milk yields of better quality realized among
dairy farming communities.
Improved dairy health achieved due to novel tick control
technologies

7. Component 2 Technology Generation
Outputs
Napier grass varieties tolerant to NSD developed &
promoted.
Dairy cattle production systems characterized
Association between genetic characteristics & milk
production traits among different cattle populations in
Uganda established.
Milk production capacity of local cattle populations
through selection & crossbreeding improved.
Mastitis, milk-borne zoonoses and drug residues in milk
better controlled.
Appropriate ticks and tick-borne diseases control
technologies developed and promoted.

8. Sub component 2.2: Technology
Dissemination
Promising technologies of priority enterprises
promoted.
Institutions involved in innovation platforms
developed and strengthened.
Product development and value addition in primary
and secondary processing promoted.
New learning platforms established and existing
ones strengthened.
Advisory services/extension strengthened

9. Component 3: Availability of Planting
Materials, seeds and livestock breeding
materials
Outcomes
Number of straws of semen produced and
distributed.
Number of straws of embryos produced.
Number of breeding dairy cattle (heifers and bull)
produced.
Number of dairy breeders trained.
Number of farmers implementing herd recording
(registry).
Number of AI technicians trained and operational.

10. Component 3: Availability of Planting
Materials, seeds and livestock breeding
materials
Outputs
Exchange of breeding materials in form of semen,
embryos and live animals fostered.
Pilot herd recording registries established and equipped.
Record keeping at dairy farms revived and backstopped.
Performance of dairy herds in the different production
zones established and documented.

11. Sub-component 3.3: Support to
harmonization of policies and regulations
Dairy breeding guidelines to guide the dairy breeders
in proper breeding methodology in place.
An inventory of dairy breeders by breed category in
place.
Skills and knowledge in improved production and
productivity of dairy animals acquired by technical
staff.
Dairy breeders backstopped and supported in their
dairy breeding activities.

12. Outcome 1: Number of Napier grass
varieties tolerant to Napier stunt disease
developed
Key Output
Screen and promote promising Napier grass varieties
tolerant to Napier Stunt Disease (NSD) and alternative
forages such as Bracharia spp .
Progress:
Uganda acquired 22 Napier grass clones that are
tolerant to NSD from Dairy RCoE, Kenya.
Four clones: 16702, 16805, Kakamega 1 and
Kakamega 2 have showed high tolerance to NSD and
high biomass yield ranging from 3.5 -6.6 tons/ha of
DM/harvest and have therefore been recommended for
dissemination to farmers.

13. Progress contd
Sowing 0.5 ha of napier grass with Centrosema melle
and 0.5 ha of a mixture of Brachiaria mulato and
Clitoria ternatea increases milk yield by over 80%;
intercropping napier grass with Clitoria ternatea
significantly improves fodder yield and feeding
(Kabirizi et al 2013).

14. Progress contd
Empowering farmers in Pastures and forages
EAAPP has empowered 2378 smallholder farmers and
other stakeholders (1450 female) in Masaka, Mbarara,
Kiruhura, Soroti, Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Gulu and
Jinja districts.
Knowledge in Napier grass establishment and
management, Napier stunt disease control/management
methods have been disseminated and demonstrated.

15. Outcome 2: Genetically improved cattle lines
for higher milk and meat yields available
among the farming communities.
Key output:
Milk production capacity of local cattle populations
through selection and crossbreeding improved.
Progress:
Synchronized breeding has been undertaken on
selected local animals in Eastern and Western Uganda
using exotic breeds semen.
Over 345 zebu cows have been inseminated with
jersey semen through Open Nucleus Breeding Scheme
and Community Based Breeding Scheme development.

16. EAAPP is revitalizing artificial insemination in Uganda.
21 Artificial Insemination technicians have been
trained and equipped in 11 districts.
Direct interaction and sensitization on selection,
breeding, record keeping and husbandry practices
was conducted for 700 farmers’ fields and with
stakeholders.
An additional 317 farmers (92 female and 225 male)
have been sensitized on breed characteristics.

17. Outcome 3: Genetically improved cattle
lines for higher milk and meat yields
available among the farming communities.
Key output
Milk production capacity of local cattle populations through
selection and crossbreeding improved.
Progress
EAAPP imported 134 heads of cattle 6 herds of pure
exotic cows (Friesian, Ayrshire, Guernsey, Jersey, Sahiwal,
and Brown Swiss) to enable establish pure nucleus herds.
They have currently been inseminated with sexed semen.
21 offspring have been delivered.
Pure breeds will be produced and accessed by breeders.

18. Outcome 4: Improved dairy health
achieved due to novel tick control
technologies
Key output
Development and promotion of appropriate ticks- and
tick-borne diseases control technologies .
Progress
Partial characterization using 7 simple sequence repeats
with two clusters classified based on genetic variations
of single nucleotide polymorphisms between T. parva
strains detected in the different regions.
Information on prevalence of ECf in Uganda has been
updated through determination of molecular prevalence of
T. parva.

19. The prevalence is highest in South Western Highlands
(47%), Pastoral Rangelands (45%) and Western
Savannah Grasslands (40%). These were followed by
North West Savannah Grasslands (38%) and Kyoga
Plains (35%). Prevalence was 15%in Lake Victoria
Crescent and (14%) in North Eastern Dry lands.
Five local strains of Enteroheamorrhagic E. coli have
been isolated and the level of contamination of milk
with E. coli determined based on the number of colony
forming units of E. coli organisms per 100 ml of milk.

20. In order to generate information necessary to support
strategic use of ECf vaccine in Uganda, the
prevalence of a 3-host tick to Amblyomma variegatum
was determined.
This tick, along with Rhipicephalus appendiculatus has
much influence on the frequency of acaricide
application in strategic control of ECf using Muguga
cocktail vaccine.
Factors influencing acaricide failure have also been
determined. Nine factors have been associated with
acaricide resistance on farms in 8 out of the 10 AEZs
of Uganda.

21. These include: gender of farmer, age of farmer,
grazing system, method of acaricide application,
source of acaricide, class of acaricide used, procedure
of acaricide reconstitution, method of restraint of cattle
during acaricide application and access to
extension/advisory services (unpublished findings).
Five local strains of Enteroheamorrhagic E. coli have
been isolated and the level of contamination of milk
with E. coli determined based on the number of colony
forming units of E. coli organisms per 100 ml of milk.

22. Conclusion
There has been significant contribution of EAAPP to
development of the dairy sub-sector in Uganda through
redress of feeds and feeding systems and promotion of
improved dairy breeds.

23. Acknowledgements
Govts of Uganda, Kenya,
Ethiopia, and Tanzania
ASARECA
World Bank
Dairy RCoEs
Other RCoE
MAAIF
EAAPP Implementing
Units
NaLIRRI
NAGRC&DB
Famer Groups.