Constraints, feeding strategies and opportunities to improve productivity and income in milk production systems in Olancho, Honduras

Forages are most important for feeding cattle in Central America; however, the adoption of forage options is still limited. This paper develops an approach to prioritise forage options according to efficiency scales, using Olancho in Honduras as a case study. Farm management characteristics and their effects on resource use efficiency were assessed for 76 farms, classified into a sequence from very low to top performers using net income per cow from milk in the dry season as the indicator of resource use efficiency. Chances for and con straints to the adoption of forage options were derived for specific contexts. Both nutritional conditions on farm and the genetic potential of the herd were critical in determining the performance level of the farm. Purchased supplements were the most important cost driver in the dry season. Farmers rated as either very low or low performers did not benefit adequately from their herd owing to inadequate feeding, with only a small amount of high quality farm-produced feed, and low genetic potential of their herds. Medium performers placed more emphasis on feed produced on-farm. Positive examples showed that improvement of the forage component was an important step to better resource use efficiency. Possible options for improving productivity, especially in very low and low producing herds, are discussed.