Kassim Matthew Lukwiya
Dairy production in Uganda is mainly based on low-input traditional pasture production systems. This makes Uganda one of the few countries in the world that are low cost producers of milk. Dairy farming could play a greater role in the economy considering its strong potential to provide rural employment and regular income to the many resource-poor households. However, milk production is still largely subsistence. There is therefore a huge potential to increase dairy production and productivity. The aim of this article was to review the current status of the dairy sector in Uganda, to identify the major constraints to dairy production and productivity and to suggest possible areas of intervention so as to enable Uganda exploit its competitive advantage in dairy production for socio-economic development. The article identified and discussed the following as major constraints to dairy production in the country: breed factors, feed resources, climatic factors, particularly high ambient temperature, sociocultural factors, and dominant informal sector in milk marketing. Selective crossbreed utilization, feed resource development, specific disease prevention and control strategies, support for pastoral production systems, and establishment and support for dairy co-operative societies were recommended for improvement of dairy production and marketing in the country.
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