Analyzing factors influencing milk production among small scale dairy farmers using systematic sampling to select sampling units

Abstract

This study aimed at analyzing factors influencing milk production among small scale dairy farmers in Kiruhura District. The specific objectives of this study were: identifying how demographic factors influence milk production and also to establish how social economic factors influence milk production. Systematic sampling was used to select the sampling units, sample size was a total of 119 small scale dairy farmers. One-way Anova was used to study association of demographic factors with milk production, Pearson correlation method was used to study relation between continuous dependent factors and independent factors and linear regression to study the overall factors affecting milk production. Data analysis was done using R studio software. The results from this study showed that majority of the respondents were males (76.5%). (39.5%) had acquired primary education, 9.2% had tertiary education. On respondent’s marital status, 66.4% of the farmers were married, 10.1% were single. 23.5% of the respondents agreed that the major challenge to milk production is drought hence the same 23.5% gave the solution as availing tractors to dig valley dams. On average, every respondent had spent 18.4 years in milk production, the mean number of milking cows was 11 cows. Daily litres of milk collected were on average 51.3 litres, the average selling price for milk was Ugx 659, and the size of land owned by each farmer was on average 48.1 acres. There was a significant strong positive association between daily milk litres produced and Years spent in milk production (r=0.654, P<0.05), Number of milking cows (r=0.872, P<0.05), and size of land (r=0.719, p<0.05). There was a significant association between size of land and milk litres produced (r=0.279, p<0.05). I recommend however that more research should be carried to compare milk production during draught and rainy among small scale dairy farmers in Kiruhura District.