American firms, Worthington Industries and Global Good, are today (November 9) expected to host a seminar in Dar es Salaam for introduction of Artificial Insemination (AI) Shield, a technology that aims at revolutionizing livestock breeding.
The seminar will feature high-level exchange of ideas and information among key government officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Development, Veterinary doctors, scientists and other key stakeholders in the livestock and dairy industry in Tanzania.
"Through AI adoption, livestock breeding becomes easier and safer, the technology reduces the spread of venereal diseases in the farm stock," African Breeders Services TCM, Managing Director Nathaniel Makoni said in a statement yesterday.
Dr Makoni argued that the success of AI technology hinges on paying special attention to cow fertility, inseminator efficiency, heat detection accuracy and semen fertility.
AI technology entails collection of semen from the male and introducing into the female reproductive tract using instruments. In livestock breeding, semen from superior and tested sires including bulls is collected and used for AI.
Many dairy farmers in East, South and West Africa have adopted AI technology to improve the quality and productivity of their dairy breeds but the technique rarely yields good conception rates due to poor control of the factors that affect conception, that is semen handling in particular.
According to a field observation study by a prominent cattle breeding firm, semen handling and exposure under smallholder delivery systems remain a serious problem that reduces conception rates by up to 60 per cent.
Dr Makoni attributed the low conception rates to AI service providers who lift the semen holding canister out of the liquid nitrogen refrigerator tank and expose the bull semen that thaws within 10 seconds of ambient temperature exposure.
Yet, scientific experiments on semen fertility have shown that semen cells are damaged even within five seconds of exposure, significantly reducing fertility.
Global Good carried out studies that brought about the AI Shield technology to protect bull semen during smallholder AI delivery. The invented technology reduces AI failures by protecting frozen bull semen from adverse temperature fluctuations common in removing the canister from traditional cryogenic refrigerators.
The innovative thermal protection guards’ temperature swings for improved semen viability, higher conception rates and increased cattle productivity.
Global Good has transferred the AI Shield patent to Worthington Industries who will on commercial basis continue the manufacture and organize distribution of the technology.
Worthington Industries is a global, diversified, metals manufacturing company, which acquired the global assets of Taylor-Wharton's CryoScience business, including the manufacturing facility in Theodore, Alabama, in December 2015.
Worthington Industries continues manufacturing cold chain storage and transportation equipment used in biobanking, fertility, genetic therapy and animal husbandry, among others.
The AI shield technology will adequately address the key factors of semen exposure, resulting in greater success of AI, improved calves and future increased milk production. With this new technology, the percentage of conception is expected to improve from 40% to 80% by the year 2017.
“We expect that the AI Shield will, substantially improve the quality of cattle breed we have in Tanzania, and I believe our farmers will now be able to increase their milk yields. The AI shield is the good news we have been waiting for, for quite some time now” added Dr. Makoni
The AI Shield technology was displayed at the recently finished ESADA conference in Kigali Rwanda and through seminars will be launched in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda this month (November).
About ABS
ABS TCM a private artificial breeding and livestock feeds company was founded in 1997 in Kenya. It has since established subsidiary companies in Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania Uganda and Zimbabwe. Since establishment, it has distributed artificial insemination (AI) products, provided AI services and engaged in dairy and livestock development projects. Over the years it has assembled a team with immense AI experience, on average, over 30 years that includes in Tanzania Dr Nathaniel Makoni (Team leader), Dr. Lwitiko Mwakalukwa, and Dr Charles Dulle. Through this team and other employees, ABS TCM has implemented development projects and provided embedded or independent AI services across Asia and 10 African countries (Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, & Zimbabwe). To this end, ABSTCM undertook more than 10 dairy development projects worth in excess of USD 30 million.
Apart from specific AI activities that ABSTCM has undertaken, all the latter dairy projects had strong AI training components including curriculum development and inseminator capacity building. Overall, excluding the development of AI syllabuses across several countries, over a 15-year period the ABS TCM team has trained 2,084 AI technicians and trainers of technicians across 10 countries. In Tanzania ABS TCM is operating in Iringa, Njombe and Mbeya districts under the Bill and Melinda Gates funded East Africa Dairy Development program.
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