Cost-Effective Forage and Browse Legume Feed for Dairy Production: An Optimisation Approach Using Jaya Optimisation Algorithm

Abstract

Livestock feed mix or feed choice decision-making is encountered by farmers in their daily operations. Livestock feed choice and mixing is emerging as a key research area considering the impact of climate change and emergence of new technology. Smallholder dairy farmers are usually capital constrained and hence a need to investigate cost-effective feed choice that maximises profit. A study to investigate the cost-effective feed among forage and browse legumes was conducted among smallholder dairy farmers in Zimbabwe. An optimisation problem was formulated with the objective of maximising profit by selecting the most cost-effective feed among forage and browse legumes. Secondary data are used to solve the optimisation problem by implementing the Jaya optimisation algorithm. Results show that grain crop silage is the best feed choice resulting in a maximum profit of $ 66.00 per day per farmer. Further research can be directed towards investigating the effect of combining the next best feed, quality hay, and grain crop silage for profit contribution.