The government has sounded an alarm over the spread of invasive species of weeds in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) rangelands due to overstocking of livestock.
This situation has significantly reduced grazing pasture and impacted negatively on livestock productivity, which accounts for 70% of the country’s ruminant livestock population.
Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock, Dr. Andrew Karanja, highlighted that data from state agencies points to a concerning trend of overstocking among pastoralist communities, with many of the animals being of low body weight.
This practice, he said, is intended to mitigate risks among the pastoralists but has resulted in land degradation and the proliferation of invasive species, which has impacted the grazing lands.
Dr. Karanja warned that if the trend is not reversed, it could further jeopardise Kenya’s ability to meet international livestock export demands, a key market for these communities, and its economic impact through foreign exchange inflows.
“Although the government has secured various international markets for livestock, we are unable to meet the demand due to the low body weights of our animals,” he said.
Kenya heavily relies on livestock exports to the Middle East, particularly to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, which generate billions of shillings annually.
To address the issue, the CS said the Ministry of Agriculture is spearheading initiatives to rehabilitate degraded lands and secure sustainable pasture production, a critical component of the livestock sector.
The CS called on local research institutes to develop suitable technologies to combat invasive species in rangelands and promote reseeding efforts to boost forage availability.
He also urged the pastoralist communities to invest in breeding programmes and feed production to raise livestock that can meet market demands, thereby improving the incomes and livelihoods of ASAL residents.
Dr. Karanja’s remarks were delivered by Prof. Abdi Guliye, the Advisor for Livestock and Rangeland Management in the Office of the President, during a stakeholder engagement on emergency responses to the anticipated depressed rainfall from October to February next year organised by the AU-IBAR RAFFS project.
In addition, Dr Karanja said Kenya has been grappling with recurrent droughts, driven by the escalating effects of climate change, challenges that have severely impacted the livestock sector, particularly in ASAL regions, which face an over 50% feed deficit.
The CS emphasized the need for feedlot promotion, commercialisation of land for feed production, and better storage practices to cushion farmers from losses to support the livestock sector, which contributes approximately 12% to Kenya’s GDP.
In response, the CS added that the government has prioritised value chains including beef, sheep, goats, indigenous poultry, dairy, honey, and leather.
With the Kenya Meteorological Department issuing a warning of potential depressed rainfall during the upcoming October-December season, the CS urged authorities to take preventive measures to reduce calamities as witnessed before.
In line with this, Dr Karanja encouraged value chain actors to adopt modern technologies such as irrigation and fodder conservation to enhance agricultural productivity, with statistics indicating a 46 per cent post-harvest loss.
The government is also finalising key policies, including the Livestock Bill 2023 and regulations for the feed industry, to further develop the sector.
Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke also expressed concern over the severe degradation of rangeland resources due to invasive species.
He emphasized the need for reseeding to restore biomass for livestock feed. Mueke added that the government is finalising plans to allocate public land for commercial fodder production under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements.
Kenya’s livestock population includes an estimated 4 million exotic dairy cattle, 16 million indigenous cattle, 24 million hair sheep, 34 million indigenous goats, 4 million camels, and 48 million indigenous poultry.
By Erastus Gichohi
