Agricultural knowledge management in dairy production improvement: The case of Bure woreda, West Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region

Assefa, H., Gebre-Egziabher, T., Sehai, E. and Tegegne, A. 2011. Agricultural knowledge management in dairy production improvement: The case of Bure woreda, West Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region. The IUP Journal of Agricultural Economics 8(4)

The Government of Ethiopia concentrates on agricultural and rural development for its economic development. Dairy development is one of the components of agricultural development. To improve dairy production in a certain locality, dairy producers should be able to access and use appropriate knowledge for a particular problem at the right time. This research was conducted to assess the agricultural knowledge management system in Bure district. Primary and secondary data were collected from primary (i.e., dairy producers and experts of different Governmental Organizations (GOs) and Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) using a semi-structured questionnaire and checklist) and secondary sources (literature reviews). The survey reveals that maintaining the health of animals, providing green pasture to their milch cows, animal selection and using crossbreed cows are the major mechanisms used by dairy producers to improve milk production in the district. This knowledge/mechanism was obtained from Woreda Agriculture and Rural Development Office (WARDO), their own experience, neighbors, family, by observing the activities on a farm, and listening to radio, and from sharing sessions and on-farm demonstrations. A majority of the dairy producers use the new knowledge with partial modification. They also transfer the knowledge to their neighbors, friends, relatives and children. Therefore, the concerned bodies should promote and strengthen the existing good practices in knowledge management processes.