Farmers groups in Kuresoi North, Gilgil, Njoro, Molo, Nakuru Town West, Rongai and Naivasha sub-counties have received fodder planting material from the County Government of Nakuru for the establishment of demo farms. The materials are to be multiplied (bulked) to boost milk production in the County which stands at 382M litres as of last year.
The county government aims to distribute the material to over 5,900 farmers across the county to establish pasture for dairy animals. The fodder with high protein content is used to supplement natural grasses, commonly fed to livestock, to address low milk productivity and stunted growth in animals due to poor nutrition. The groups each received over 200 caliandra, tree lucerne and lacunae seedlings, over 200 mulberry cuttings, over 70 bracharia splits, over 4 kgs of desmodium seeds, 3.8 kgs of Lucerne seeds, 5 kgs of sorghum seeds, 3 bags of DAP and CAN fertilizers as well as one litre of fungiuamd pesticide.
The County Government under the ASDSP II program is promoting fodder production to enhance livelihoods through the strengthening of alternative, complementary and enhanced income sources in view of protecting and enhancing livestock-based livelihoods. The production of fodder also has the potential to stimulate livestock marketing as inadequate feed is often cited as a constraint by farmers to sell their produce.
