Adaptation of the zero grazing concept by Luo farmers in Kenya

The National Dairy Development Project (NDDP) of Kenya was implemented by the Kenyan and Dutch governments with the main aim of increasing milk production for the market. In 1979, the NDDP introduced a dairy farm concept based on zero grazing (ZG) which involves confining of dairy cattle in a stall and the development of a cut and carry fodder system. When the project ended in 1999, it had covered a total of 25 districts throughout the country and over 10,000 farmers were involved in either ZG or semi -ZG dairy farming. Many of the Luo farmers of Siaya district embraced the project as they were attracted to the additional benefit of ZG, namely replenishment of soil fertility for crop production. However, they introduced a number of adaptations to the ZG concept to fit their needs and opportunities. The ZG concept and the adaptations made are discussed in this article.