Appetite for forages? the adoption and multidimensional impacts of improved forage grasses in Uganda

Abstract

Smallholder dairy farming has the potential to contribute to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including income and employment generation, food security, nutrition, and health. A key constraint to enhancing dairy productivity is the limited availability of high-quality, nutritious feed. Improved forage grasses (IFGs) are considered a promising lever for sustainable intensification of livestock systems. However, limited evidence exists on the multidimensional impacts of IFGs at the farm household level. This study addresses this knowledge gap by applying a mixed-methods approach to assess both the determinants of adoption and the impacts of feeding IFGs on productivity, income, food security, and land management practices. We focus on Uganda, where several IFGs were introduced and disseminated through two livestock development projects. Adoption barriers and impact pathways are analyzed, and inverse probability weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA) is used to address selection bias. Key barriers to adoption include limited experience with forage cultivation, use of local breeds, non-practice of zero-grazing, and lack of membership in producer organizations. Feeding IFGs to dairy cows significantly increases daily milk yield per cow by 13%, household income by 18%, and the number of food items consumed by 0.9. These findings highlight the potential of IFGs to improve productivity, incomes, and food security in smallholder dairy systems. They offer practical insights for the design and implementation of future dairy development programs aimed at scaling sustainable livestock intensification.