Economic assessment of feeding forage-based diets to dairy goats under smallholder production systems in Gash-Barka region, Eritrea

Abstract

High feed costs and the widespread use of low-quality pastures are major constraints to the expansion of livestock sector in Eritrea. This is despite the fact that the country has livestock breeds with high genetic potential to support high production. The Hassani goat breed has good dairy characteristics capable of producing sufficient milk for household use and sale. However, its performance remains suboptimal due to inadequate nutrition and management. This study evaluated the economic performance of using forage-based diets to feed goats from the Hassani dairy breed in Gash-Barka region, Eritrea. An on-farm feeding experiment was conducted using 24 Hassani dairy goat breed which were randomly assigned to 4 dietary treatments with 6 goats for each treatment. The treatments diets comprised 80% sorghum stover with 20% Acacia tortilis pod meal (T1), 50% sorghum stover (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), 20% alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and 30% elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) (T2), 50% sorghum stover, 30% alfalfa, and 20% elephant grass (T3), and 50% sorghum stover, 25% alfalfa, and 25% elephant grass (T4). Data corresponding to each treatment diet on dry matter intake (kg), milk yield (mL), feed costs (USD), and farm income (USD) were recorded. Milk yield and feed intake were subjected to analysis of variance using R software. The Least Significant Difference (LSD) method was used in means separation with differences considered at 0.05 level of significance while economic outcomes were evaluated using partial budget analysis. Results indicated that gross revenue ranged from 158.8 USD (T1) to 256.9 USD (T4). Total variable costs were highest in T1 (214.1 USD) and substantially lower in T2–T4 (93.2–110.5 USD). Consequently, T1 resulted in a negative gross margin (-55.3 USD), whereas T2, T3, and T4 generated positive gross margins of 160.8, 150.3, and 146.5 USD, respectively. Marginal rate of return analysis indicated economic superiority of the forage-based diets, with T2 emerging as the most economically advantageous option. An analysis of the study findings showed that supplementing sorghum stover with alfalfa and elephant grass significantly improves milk production and economic returns in smallholder dairy goat production in Gash-Barka, Eritrea.