Risk factors that undermine reproductive efficiency of cattle in smallholder production systems in Namayingo district in Uganda

Reproductive performance is a crucial determinant of the productivity and profitability of cattle farming. Suboptimal cattle reproductive performance implies failure to achieve the target of a calf annually, a recommended reproduction index. The cattle farming system in the study area, Namayingo district, is comprised mainly of small-scale farmers. There are limited studies done to assess cattle reproductive performance in the study area. The study was conducted from July to October 2024. It assessed cattle reproductive efficiency, identified and analyzed the risk factors that undermine reproductive performance of smallholder cattle production system in Namayingo district, Uganda. Data were collected from 213 cows and 28 breeding bulls to obtain information on individual animal level factors. Additionally, a structured questionnaire was administered to 90 smallholder cattle farmers who owned the cattle included in the study. The prevalences of repeat breeding and dystocia were 2.1% and 15.2% respectively. The average services per conception, and calving interval in months were 1.48 and 13.8 respectively. The results of binary logistic regression analysis revealed that BCS, housing and management system influenced the pregnancy status of cows with p -values of < 0.001, 0.013 and 0.008 respectively. Likewise, a generalized linear model indicated that age ( p = 0.005), parity ( p = 0.003), and breeding method ( p = 0.006) influenced the calving interval of cows. Reproductive performance was below optimal level due to high dystocia prevalence and long calving intervals, despite low repeat breeding prevalence. BCS, housing and breeding methods were important factors that influenced calving interval significantly. Therefore, appropriate housing and breeding interventions are recommended to improve the reproductive performance and efficiency of cattle in the study area and other similar contexts.