Ethiopian Livestock Feed (ELF) Project – introducing Techfit

By Alan Duncan, Inception meeting for the ‘Fodder and feed in livestock value chains in Ethiopia’ project

ILRI, Addis Ababa, 21-22 February 2012

Techfit

The problem

What is your main problem

Feed

What feed technologies

have you got?Planted forage

Urea treated strawBypass protein

OK, let’s try those

A solution

TechfitA discussion support tool for

prioritizing feed technologies

Key context attributes

Land

Labour

Credit

Input

Knowledge

Key technology attributes

Land

Labour

Credit

Input

Knowledge

The core concept

Key context attributes

Land

Labour

Credit

Input

Knowledge

Key technology attributes

Land

Labour

Credit

Input

Knowledge

x = Score

Matching context to technology

Technology filter

Scope for improvement of attribute

s

Context relevance (score 1-

6; low-high))

Impact potential (score 1-6; low-high)

Total score

(context X impact)

Requ Score 1-3

(1 for more; 3 for less)

Avail Score 1-3

(1 for less; 3 for

more)

Requ Score 1-3

(1 for more; 3 for less)

Avail Score 1-3

(1 for less; 3 for

more)

Requ Score 1-3

(1 for high;

3 for low)

Avail Score 1-3

(1 for less; 3 for

more)

Requ Score 1-3

(1 for high;

3 for low)

Avail Score 1-3

(1 for less; 3 for

more)

Requ Score 1-3

(1 for high;

3 for low)

Avail Score 1-3

(1 for less; 3 for

more)

Score 1-5 (1 for

less and 5 for

more)

Urea treatment of straw

2 3 6 3 2 2 2 2 0

Supplement with UMMB

2 5 10 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 22

By-pass protein feed

1 3 3 3 3 1 1 3 0

Feed conservation (surplus) (HAY)

4 3 12 3 3 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 41

etcetc

III.

TECHNOLOGY FILTER

(Technology options to

address quantity, quality,

seasonality issues)

Pre-select the obvious (5-6) based

on context relevance and impact potential

Score the pre-selected technologies based on the requirement, availability and scope for improvement of five technology attributes

Attribute 1: Land

Attribute 2: Labour

Attribute 3: Cash /credit

Attribute 4: Input delivery

Attribute 5: Knowledge

/skill

Total Score

Technology list

Pre-filter Main filte

rScore

Cost-benefit assessment

What does the technology cost?– Inputs, labour, land etc?

What does the technology deliver?– Enhanced milk yield, improved

reproductive performance, better growth etc

Does it make sense?

Final output

Ideas for some promising feed interventions that might work

Better understanding of why the usual suspects often don’t work.