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Sammanfattning

Stunting, a form of chronic undernutrition in children, is a major public health concern worldwide. Livestock can play a crucial role in reducing stunting by supplying nutrient-dense animal-source foods needed for child growth and development. This thesis aimed to study the association between keeping a lactating cow and the prevalence of stunting in smallholder households in the Northern Province of Rwanda by looking at feeding and milking practices, milk yield and quality, and the association between keeping a lactating cow and stunting in young children. A cross-sectional study involving 601 smallholder households was conducted during November-December 2021. Most households had at least one type of livestock, and 156 owned cows, mostly crossbreeds, that were lactating at the moment of the visit. All cows were fed according to a cut-and-carry system, mostly with roadside native vegetation, crop residues, and cultivated grasses. Most of the feed resources were of poor nutritional quality, characterized by low protein, high fibre, and low energy contents. Milk yield was low, on average 4 L/cow/day. Cow’s breed, parity, stage of lactation, body condition, and milking frequency affected milk yield. Around 34% of the milk samples had somatic cell counts above 300,000 cells/ml indicating the presence of intra-mammary infections, and 13% of the samples had antibiotic residues. Prevalence of stunting in children ranged from 10.4 to 50.0%, with a mean of 27.3%. Owning a lactating cow showed a tendency to reduce stunting, while poultry keeping was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of stunting. However, the consumption of milk or eggs was not associated with stunting. Factors that were associated with stunting included sex of the child (girls less than boys), birth weight and breastfeeding; body mass index and level of education of the mothers; household economy and food security, gender of the household head (men more than women), and the presence of a kitchen garden. Improving animal husbandry would result in more milk of better quality, both to be consumed or sold, and in reduced prevalence of stunting and improved household livelihoods. 

Nyckelord

feed resources; feed composition; lactating cow; zero-grazing; East Africa; poverty; animal-source foods; child stunting; foderresurser; fodersammansättning; lakterande kor; Östafrika; småbönder; animaliska livsmedel; hämning av barns tillväxt

Publicerad i

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae
2025, nummer: 2025:57
Utgivare: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

SLU författare

UKÄ forskningsämne

Husdjursvetenskap

Publikationens identifierare

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.54612/a.406abvn25e
  • ISBN: 978-91-8124-041-2
  • eISBN: 978-91-8124-087-0

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/142458