PREPARED

PREPARED Project

Fodder Production for Enhanced Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Resilience in the Drylands of Kenya | PREPARED, is a two year (June 2015 – July, 2017) project funded under the RUFORUM Graduate Research Grants.

PREPARED project implemented by the University of Nairobi (UoN), with support from Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), aims to inform development and upscaling of fodder production in the ASALs by evaluating the productivity and nutritional quality of priority grass ecotypes, and analyzing the fodder value chain in the drylands of southern Kenya.

Project Partners

It is a participatory research project involving the principal investigator, two MSc. students and their supervisors from the UoN, working in partnership with Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and fodder farmers in southern Kenya.

The project compliments the County Governments’ efforts of improving livestock production and diversifying pastoral and agro-pastoral livelihoods, as indicated in the County Integrated Development Plans (CIDP) for both Makueni and Kajiado.

Most of the farmers involved in the project are those already working with the KALRO and respective County Governments in fodder bulking and development of seed system in the region.

Masters Research

Patricia Luiza Njeri Ndung’u is a graduate of BSc. Range Management. She graduated with second class, upper division from University of Nairobi in September 4, Her MSc research title is: “Screening Selected Ecotypes of Range Grass Species for Biomass Yield and Nutritive Value in Makueni County, Kenya”. The specific objectives of her study are to:

  • Characterize the ecotypes of selected key indigenous grass species in Makueni County
  • Determine the herbage yield and nutritional quality of selected ecotypes at different phenological stages.

Erick Omollo is a graduate of BSc. Range Management. He graduated with second class, upper division from University of Nairobi in September 4, 2015. His MSc research title is: “Analysis of Fodder Production and Marketing in the Southern Rangelands of Kenya”. The specific objectives of his study are to:

  • Map the fodder value chain and determine profitability and contribution of fodder production to households’ income in Makueni and Kajiado Counties of Kenya.
  • Determine factors that influence households’ participation in fodder production in the study area.
College of Agriculture & Veterinary Science, University of Nairobi
African Dryland Institute for Sustainability , University of Nairobi