PlantVillage’s Grazing Management System to Address Shortage of Pasture in the ASALs
Posted on
PlantVillage is guiding elders in Marsabit County, Kenya, on a grazing management initiative to address overgrazing as one of the challenges that have led to a shortage of pasture for livestock.
The initiative aims at educating locals on the importance of managing their pastures to reduce the number of animals that die from lack of food.
Gudas Garawahle, one of the elders pioneering the initiative, noted that pasture inadequacy has claimed many of their livestock, especially in the dry seasons.
"Young pastures are depleted even before the dry season knocks in, and this leads to starvation, malnourishment, and the deaths of our animals," Garawahle pointed out.
A herd of cattle grazing in an area that is not restricted.
In the program, animals will be restricted from accessing a particular grazing field for at least two months for pasture to mature before being released to feed in.
The rotational grazing system allows the recently depleted grass to sprout and blossom to maturity as the animals are allocated new grazing fields with fresh and mature pastures.
“Basically, we focus on feeding the animals in the places with adequate water as we wait for the less favored pasturelands to regrow and mature. We spend up to two months in one area in order to give ample time for other places to have plenty for our livestock," said Mzee Thetheti.
The community-based program also aims at maximizing plant growth and improving forage quality in order to diversify food sources for the livestock at all times despite the climatic changes.
Other than providing plenty of feed for their animals, the program also focuses on controlling parasites that affect the livestock in this community. Through rotational grazing, the animals will be able to survive the chances of feeding on worm-infested pastures.
"We have Morans at the grassroots level as our pointmen, whose core duties involve ensuring the program is considered by prescribing to the initiative's rotational schedule," he said.
This and other northern counties receive rain in two seasons annually; mid-March to May and November to December. This has pushed the steering elders to go for grasses that will survive the entire year to cut down on the shortage of animal food and reduce losses arising from animal hunger.
"The community has bought into our concepts of soil bunds and their vast good in re-greening their land, and this will help in terms of livestock activities. We have begun digging soil bunds in areas inaccessible by animals where grasses will be planted," said Lawrence Fofen, PlantVillage's Marsabit field officer.
PlantVillage has begun planting trees and grass on these soil bunds. Under the program, two grass varieties have been proposed for the exercise. The two are Enteropogon macrostachyus and Cenchrus ciliaris, widely known as the African Foxtail.