Cattle Demography, Farm Operations and Challenges Faced by Herdsmen in The Ejisu/Juaben Municipality of The Ashanti Region of Ghana

Keywords: Cattle Farm Survey, Milk yield, Feed Scarcity, Milk Handling, Service Conditions, Training Herdsmen and Cattle Owners

Abstract

In Ghana, livestock production is largely managed by smallholding farmers. Many of the smallholder cattle farms are scattered in the country with varied challenges. This study was conducted to gather baseline data on cattle demography, characterize the farm operations, and identify the challenges faced by herdsmen on smallholder cattle farms in the Ejisu/Juaben Municipality of the Ashanti region of Ghana. The snowball method was used to identify 39 smallholder cattle farms and the purposive sampling method was used to administer a semi- structured questionnaire. Data collected were subjected to descriptive analysis using the SPSS version 22 (2013). In the study, all the herdsmen who responded to the questionnaire were men who practiced the Islamic religion. The nationalities of the herdsmen are Ghanaians (56.3%), Burkinabes (37.5%), Malian (3.1%), and Togolese (3.1%). About 65% of the herdsmen interviewed were between the ages of 16 and 45 years. Cow population per farm showed that about 81% of the farms had between 10 and 30 cows per farm. Destruction of crops (94%) by grazing cattle was the main challenge faced by the herdsmen. Followed by feed scarcity (90.6%). It was noted that some herdsmen (40.6%) could spend many hours in a day grazing and milking the cattle all year round without any day off for rest. Twelve and a half percent (12.5%) of the herdsmen also faced water problems. Apart from these challenges and the poor conditions of service for the herdsmen, the knowledge of the herdsmen in milk handling is also considered to be low.

Author Biographies

Godwin Deku, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Dr. Godwin Deku is a Research Fellow at the Dairy/Beef Cattle Research Station at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi. He teaches and conducts research in dairy science, sustainable livestock production and management. He is passionate about dairy processing, quality assurance and products development. He is also enthused about developing and promoting production models for sustainable micro livestock production. He also trains and mentors milk processors and livestock farmers. Dr. Godwin Deku is a member of the Ghana Society of Animal Production (GSAP).

Christopher Antwi, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Professor Christopher Antwi is a Full Professor of Animal Science with many years of teaching and collaborations with several institutions in research both in Ghana and abroad. Prof. C. Antwi has several publications in the field of ruminant nutrition. He is also interested in the measurement of methane emission in ruminants. He has served four terms as head of Department of Animal Science; Vice Dean, Faculty of Agriculture and currently the Deputy Director of Institute of Distance Learning, all of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi

Paul Kofi Karikari, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Professor Paul Kofi Karikari is an esteemed Associate Professor of Animal Science with years of experience in both teaching and research. He has extensively taught and published in the field of livestock reproduction and management. For many years, he served as the head of the Dairy/Beef Cattle Research Station at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi. Although he has retired, Professor Karikari remains actively engaged in his academic pursuits, continually contributing to advancements in his field.

Daniel Boye Okai, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Professor Daniel Boye Okai is an eminent Full Professor of Animal Science with many years of teaching and research with several publications to his credit. He served as Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Kumasi. He is a member and a fellow of the Ghana Society of Animal Production. He was once and Editor – in- Chief of the Ghanaian Journal of Animal Science. Professor Okai has retired but he continuous to engage in academic works and contributes to the progress of Animal Science.

Andrew Babatunde Omojola , Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Professor Andrew Babatunde Omojola is a Professor of Animal Science with specialization in Animal Products and Processing.  He is a registered member of the Nigeria Institute of Animal Science and a fellow, College of Animal Scientists of Nigeria (FCASN). He was the Chairman, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the Ekiti State Brownfield Investment (Resuscitation of Ikun Dairy Farm) Project, Ikun– Ekiti. He is well travelled and an erudite scholar with over 160 publications to his credit. He is a reviewer to many local and international journals.  He was a two term Director of the University of Ibadan Teaching and Research Farm and the current Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan. He is currently a member of the Presidential Livestock Reform Implementation Committee

Published
2025-01-30
How to Cite
Deku, G., Antwi, C., Karikari, P. K., Boye Okai, D., & Babatunde Omojola , A. (2025). Cattle Demography, Farm Operations and Challenges Faced by Herdsmen in The Ejisu/Juaben Municipality of The Ashanti Region of Ghana. Journal of Science and Technology, 1(2), 1- 12. https://doi.org/10.4314/just.v1i2.1931