More than 400 small-holder hay farmers in Nakuru who have traditionally been selling their produce through brokers are now tripling their income and increasing milk production by bulking and selling the fodder through Nakuru Dairy Cooperative Society.
This has been made possible courtesy of the World-Bank funded National Agricultural Rural Inclusive and Growth Project (NARIGP) which aims at increasing incomes of small-scale dairy farmers and boosting value addition and product diversification.
The group, which was formed seven years ago, jointly cultivates 10,000 acres of Boma Rhodes grass which they bale to hay and sell.
The chairman of Nakuru County Dairy Cooperative Union Johnstone Sang said the Hay producers formed the group after sensitization on business-oriented venture and are now part of close to 7,000 smallholder dairy farmers in Nakuru County who have benefited from NARIGP.
The project is being implemented through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Fisheries and Irrigation, State Department for Crop Development (SDCD), with funding support from the World Bank.
With most of the members owning an average of between 2-4 acres of land, Sang said they decided to set aside a minimum of one-acre portion each for hay production.
And to boost production amid scarcity, NARIGP has been promoting use of improved grasses like hybrid brachiaria, camello and Panicum maximum varieties and adoption of forage grain crops like sorghum fodder and pearl millet and fodder trees.
Members are also encouraged to cultivate different kinds of fodder namely maize for silage, brachiaria, lucerne and Napier grass.
According to Sang, the group harvests between 180-200 bales of hay from one acre of their farm which they sell at Sh400 per bale.
Through bulking, Sang said Nakuru County Dairy Cooperative Union had been able to reduce the cost of milk marketing and enabled farmers to realize higher returns through provision of a reliable and remunerative outlet for milk.
“Feeding is the key in increased milk production. This is one challenge NARIGP is addressing by training farmers on how to conserve fodder for use during the dry spell,” said the Chairman.
Nakuru County NARIGP Coordinator Peter Githunguri said Kenya was often faced with milk shortage especially during dry seasons due to fodder shortage and that NARIGP had been promoting hay production in 11 sub-counties across the devolved unit.
The coordinator indicated that NARIGP was also funding construction of proper storage facilities in various parts of the County to facilitate clean and proper storage of hay.
“The storage facilities should be well made and raised above the ground to ensure rodents such as rats do not get access,” Githunguri added.
He said there was a need for good storage barns for hay and silos for silage to minimize losses and damage of conserved feed particularly during rainy seasons.
According to Githunguri, NARIGP was encouraging smaller cooperatives to affiliate themselves with giant Unions explaining that liberalization of milk marketing and withdrawal of many government technical services as part of industry reforms two decades ago forced dairy co-operative societies to assume a greater role in these areas.
He added that well organized cooperatives movements were vital and structured avenue through which dairy farmers could access such specialized training from county and national governments.
Githunguri described hay as a magic crop which brings good fortune as it is harvested five times before it is uprooted and replanted and does not need a lot of rainfall, unlike maize which mainly depends on rain and is prone to deadly diseases and pests.
According to Nakuru Dairy Value Chain Stakeholders Chairman Waweru Nyangi, there was need to invest in quality seeds for hay production and ensure one harvest at the right time for quality grass and better returns.
He calls on the national and county governments to enhance sensitization and training workshops for pastoralist communities on the importance of fodder growing on a commercial scale saying addressing the issue of hay quantity and quality would result to more milk production.
By Esther Mwangi and Dennis Rasto
