Dairy Production
Expanding pasture production and availability to increase milk yields is a problem that CBi Innovations Ltd seeks to address.
Challenges Faced by Dairy Farmers
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Low milk productivity is a common issue among farmers.
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Overgrazing on limited pasture lands leads to low quantity and quality of feed.
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Poor access to water for animals due to neglected water bodies on grazing reserves.
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Limited availability of high-quality cattle breeds, primarily beef breeds like Bunaji and Rahaji.
Knowledge and Infrastructure Gaps in Dairy Farming
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Farmers lack limited understanding of milk hygiene, herd health management, and feed protocols.
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Farmers receive low prices per litre of milk, partly due to high spoilage rates post-milking.
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Poor storage facilities and inadequate cold chain services further hinder dairy production and profitability for farmers.
The production scale-up of Napier grass
The BIF project managed to pilot, and eventually scale-up, the commercial production of Napier grass in collaboration with pastoralist communities. This resulted in an increase in pastoralists’ access to higher quality feed, consequently increasing their milk yields and also creating a sustainable income source for local cooperatives who would sell the Napier grass seedlings.
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This works well during the rains when there is an abundance of water to grow the grass. We introduced the palletization of this fodder and processing into silage in small bags for availability of good fodder during the dry season.
Income growth constraints of women in pastoralist communities
A major constraint to income growth of women in pastoralist communities is the low price for milk products in the traditional market and the significant wastage which occurs due to poor milk handling and pasteurisation techniques – up to 20% of milk is wasted using traditional methods. As the traditional pasteurisation technique does not prolong the shelf life of the milk produced, the women are often price takers as they are forced to sell their goods for very low prices towards the end of the day before it spoils.