Artificial Insemination: Coverage and Constraints in Central High Land of Ethiopia

Abstract

: A cross-sectional and retrospective investigation was conducted from November, 2017 to April, 2018 with objective of assessing service coverage and constraints that were affecting Artificial Insemination (AI), success rate in Welmera District, special Zone of Oromiya Regional State. Semi-structured questionnaires were pretested and administered to 395 respondents that were composed of a group small-holder dairy farmers (n=384), animal health and production professionals (AHPPs) (n=8) and artificial inseminations technicians (AITs) (n=3). Additionally retrospective data from 2011 to 2017 was considered to evaluate the previous situation of AI services in study site. The survey result showed that from 384 interviewed farmers; majority of them 71.1%, (273) didn’t use AI, 18.8% (72) used both AI and natural breeding, while 10.2% (39) used solely AI services to breed their cows. The distribution of AI services between small-holders located in urban, per-urban and rural localities in the study area was 78.95%, 46.25% and 12.88% respectively, with statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Many farmers (273) solely depended on natural breeding than using artificial insemination due to lack of awareness (27.7%), unfitness of their dairy cows for AI breeding (26.4%), long distance from AI center (24.4%), insufficient capital (13.3%) and shortage of feed (8.1%) to keep dairy cows. The major constraints among AI users were shortage of inputs 7.1%, unavailability of AI technicians 13.4% and conception failure 50.9%. In Wolemera district many farmers 73.3% used to take their cows to AI station for services while 26.7% call-up to technicians to have them at their farm gate for AI services. Generally from this study it was concluded that AI service coverage was inadequate with unequal distributions between small-holders in urban, peri- urban and rural localities. Therefore, AI service in the district requires serious attention so that appropriate solutions be given to alleviate the prevailing constraints.