Jeannette Kanyange, 54, a resident of Muyira Sector in Nyanza District, has experienced a rapid transformation in her life, thanks to dairy farming – jersey breed cows.
The mother of one started modest with meagre income when she used to keep local breeds, but her earnings have increased significantly thanks to exotic breed cows.
"I used to keep around 12 local breed cows and I could get around 15 liters of milk from six dairy cows. I decided to sell them because they were less productive and I bought three Jersey cows that are more productive in milk than the local breeds. Each of my Jersey cows now produces 12 liters per day. Since then, my income has been progressively increasing,” Kanyange says.
For Kanyange, the jersey cows provide her with enough milk for daily consumption and a surplus of at least 24 liters a day which she sells to get money for family income.
“I am now assured of food and I am able to satisfy my family’s needs,” she says.
Kanyange says that the benefit from the cows had gone beyond improving daily nutrition for the family to become a source of income that can be invested in other activities. This is in addition to the manure that adds fertility to her land.
The manure she gets from the cows has helped her improve her agriculture activities. She says she’s now able to get at least one million Rwandan francs from farming activities at the end of every season.
Jersey breed cows are popular among Kanyange’s neighbors because of their lower maintenance costs and larger quantity of milk they produce.
Jersey cows are also popular for the high butterfat content of their milk.