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Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar

Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar

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Rica, 47 ha in Honduras, and 97 ha in Nicaragua, whereas for sugarcane<br />

374 ha are needed in Costa Rica, 61 ha in Honduras, and 800 ha in<br />

Nicaragua.<br />

Strategy <strong>to</strong> Promote the Adoption of New Technologies<br />

The requirements <strong>to</strong> reach a level of adoption similar <strong>to</strong> Level 1 are<br />

relatively easy <strong>to</strong> achieve given the large benefits that can be obtained in<br />

terms of reduced production costs and increased cash flow due <strong>to</strong> the<br />

substitution of purchased inputs <strong>with</strong> improved germplasm. Use of family<br />

labor, frequently underutilized or <strong>with</strong> a very low opportunity cost, especially<br />

in Nicaragua and Honduras, is more efficient.<br />

The strategy <strong>to</strong> ensure successful adoption of Level 1 and subsequent<br />

advance <strong>to</strong>ward other levels of adoption consists in establishing strategic<br />

alliances <strong>with</strong> organized farmers groups and/or extension agencies. These<br />

alliances allow the:<br />

• Identification of producers interested in establishing seed multiplication<br />

plots on their farms so that they become facilita<strong>to</strong>rs for the local<br />

expansion of new areas in each region, and<br />

• Creation of a followup mechanism <strong>to</strong> find markets for the seed<br />

produced, by identifying early adopters.<br />

Conclusions<br />

The potential benefits that result from the progressive adoption of new<br />

forage options based on grasses and legumes validated by the Tropileche<br />

Consortium include the following:<br />

• Level 1 of adoption (new germplam based on Cratylia and sugarcane <strong>to</strong><br />

substitute feed supplements for herds) allows producers in all three<br />

countries <strong>to</strong> completely eliminate the need <strong>to</strong> purchase feed supplements<br />

for the herd, especially during the dry season. This effect has a large<br />

impact on the cash flow of producers because milk production cost can<br />

be reduced by 14% in Costa Rica, by 25% in Honduras, and by 11% in<br />

Nicaragua.<br />

• Level 2 of adoption (areas of Cratylia and sugarcane similar <strong>to</strong> Level 1,<br />

plus variable areas of Brachiaria in each country) not only offers the<br />

benefits obtained <strong>with</strong> Level 1, but also allows the producer <strong>to</strong> maintain<br />

the same milk production and herd size in a smaller area, thus releasing<br />

areas <strong>to</strong> be allocated <strong>to</strong> other alternative uses. The released areas vary<br />

from 9% in the case of Honduras <strong>to</strong> 39% in Costa Rica and 45% in<br />

132

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