A CASE STUDY OF AGRO-PASTORALISTS IN MANDERA

PRACTICING FODDER PRODUCTION TO ENHANCE

FOOD SECURITY AND RESILIENCE

Osundwa, J.N.; Onyango, D.A. and Ibrahim, M.A.

2015

GEOGRAPHICAL AREA AND TARGET BENEFICIARY GROUPS OF THE CASE STUDY

¢  Mandera County is located in the North Eastern part of Kenya. Borders Ethiopia to the North, Somalia republic to the East.

¢  Daua-riverine areas of Mandera East and Mandera North Sub-counties in Mandera County of Kenya.

¢  18 villages were visited in the study; 6 in Mandera North and 12 in Mandera East.

¢  258 agro-pastoralists farmers (168 in Mandera East and 90 in Mandera North) along the River Daua.

¢  Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MALF),NGOs and CBOs supporting fodder production - VSF Suisse, COOPI, Mandera Polytechnic, Islamic Relief Foundation and Rural Agency for Community Development and Assistance (RACIDA).

¢  258 farmers questionnaire interviews, 13 FGDs conducted in Mandera East (8) and Mandera North (5).

IMPACTS

¢  Improved livestock nutrition and productivity = enhanced milk production and household food security - 136 (81%) and 77 (85.6%) of the households in Mandera East and Mandera North respectively were able to effectively meet their household milk demand during the wet season.

¢  Reduced livestock mortality during periods of drought - 2014 drought, NDMA and MALF bought 27,800 hay bales distributed throughout Mandera County.

¢  Regular provision of livestock feed – for donkeys and lactating animals

¢  Increased income from fodder sales – each bale sold between $3-5

¢  Creation of employment for farm managers, farm workers and technicians repairing irrigation pump sets.

¢  Builds agro-pastoralists resilience to drought - hay is durable and can be stored as a drought preparedness measure.

¢  Reduces livestock movement in search of pasture - reduces panic movement, and helps check on the spread of livestock diseases and rangeland degradation

SUSTAINABILITY: SUPPORT NEEDED BY FARMERS ¢  Access and provision of certified pasture and fodder seeds, farm tools,

production inputs (fuels, subsidy on plowing, and generators for organized groups)

¢  Construction of central strategic reserve storage and community hay storage facilities as a drought preparedness measure.

¢  Training, extension services and continuous monitoring by MALF and NGOs

¢  Development of fodder marketing structures and procedures that ensure the stability of fodder/hay prices; contract farming

¢  Improve flood control mechanisms and support more permanent irrigation canal structures to effectively cope with climate change challenges

¢  Linking farmers to micro-financing institutions to enhance access to credit; to insurance schemes to safeguard farmers livelihood from disasters associated with climate change challenges

REPLICATION For replication in other ASALs national and local government roles

¢  Facilitate the development of land use plans/development strategies that factor in irrigated farming for disaster risk reduction

¢  Develop policies that protect encroachment of pastoralist areas

¢  Develop linkages with NGOs for improved extension services

¢  Linkage of strategic fodder production to emergency/contingency plans in the ASALs as a contingency measure to support livestock production

¢  Introduction and testing of more fodder crops that are suitable for the climate and soils found in the county

¢  Promote rangeland reseeding and forage conservation to complement riverine fodder production.

CHALLENGES/CONSTRAINTS STILL FACING FARMERS IN REGARD TO FODDER PRACTICE ¢  Inter-clan conflicts hindering access to the farms and leads to loss of

equipment

¢  Difficulty in maintaining soil fertility as a result of floods washing away the top fertile soil

¢  Inadequate access to inputs, quality fodder seeds and credit facilities

¢  Inadequate fodder storage facilities compromising quality of the preserved hay

¢  Lack of a reliable , stable and regulated fodder market ; Lack of regular income from hay sales strains meeting input costs

¢  Predators i.e. birds destroying seeds; wild pigs, monkeys

¢  Seasonality of river Daua: water resource challenges, hamper farming activities between January - March

¢  Constructed canal structures challenges: blockage of water canals

¢  Salinity of the soil in some areas

APPRECIATION

¢ Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) ¢ Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries

Development in Kenya ¢ Arid Lands Resource Management Programme

(ALRMP) ¢ NGOs and other organizations (VSF Suisse,

COOPI, Mandera Polytechnic, Islamic Relief Foundation and Rural Agency for Community Development and Assistance (RACIDA))

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