Background

Ankole Longhorn cattle are an ancient breed belonging to the Sanga group of cattle. The breed is indigenous to the central and eastern regions of Africa and is found in the western and south-western parts of Uganda. Its population in Uganda is approximately 2.9 million. As for many indigenous breeds of cattle, Ankole Longhorn cattle have the ability to survive and reproduce under the poor climatic conditions of the wooded savannah of South West Uganda. A study described by Peterson et al. (2004), and on which this case study is based, was undertaken to record the lactation performance of a sample of the Ankole cattle population in Mbarara district, Uganda.

Eight areas representing different ecological conditions and vegetation types within an area of open and wooded savannah grasslands were included in the study. The survey showed that cattle from grassland areas from which thorn thickets had been mostly removed had higher lactation performance than those living in more bushy environments. Statistical analysis also showed, as expected, that cows in their first lactation yielded less milk than cows of higher parity (i.e. having calved two or more times).

One of the original ideas, when the study was first planned, was to use the results to identify a group of high yielding cows resident in these herds that might be used for future breeding purposes. This is the type of approach that might theoretically be adopted to develop a nucleus breeding herd that could be used to promote genetic improvements in milk production by providing offsprings to farmers. This case study illustrates how such cows might have been selected.