Modeling impact of improved forage cultivation on milk productivity and feed sufficiency in semiarid tropics of central India: A doubly robust analysis

Abstract

The study using cross-sectional data collected from 300 dairy farmers has analyzed the factors affecting adoption of improved forage technologies and its impact on milk yield and feed sufficiency in central region. We used inverse-propensity-weighting regression adjustment (IPWRA) method as main technique for impact evaluation and checked the robustness of the results using matching methods. Our findings suggest that education status, adult cattle unit, animal breed type, off-farm income activities, farm size, and access to training and market significantly influence adoption of improved forage technologies and practices. Further, the adoption led to a significant increase in daily milk yield (1.07 to 1.34 L), total dry matter availability by over 27%, and green fodder availability by around 80%. Ration balancing has been identified as a significant concern in the study region. Consequently, the study suggests that adopting a comprehensive approach is necessary to address the issue of proper ration balancing and fully harness the production potential of dairy animals.