In Kenya the livestock sector contributes over 30% of the AgGDP and employs more than 50% of the agricultural labour force. Dairy and livestock farming generally account for utilisation of 30% of the high to medium potential land and 81% of the ASAL. Livestock related production alone accounts for utilisation of nearly 421 million hectares out of a national total of 484 million hectares used mainly for crop and livestock production. (Kenya Agricultural Research Institute)
As Bitange Ndemo observes, “Our rural homes are littered with kienyeji (ordinary and unproductive) cattle whose breed we do not know. We have never paid attention to the value chain of livestock farming as a basis of wealth creation.
Starting with the breed, veterinary services, feed, beef/milk, abattoirs to markets, it is indeed an industry we have neglected. That is why the vast majority of us cannot name more than two breeds common in Africa or which breed gives the best meat, the most milk or is most resistant to diseases.
Yet as in farming we remain subsistent while unemployment soars. We have not backed the talk of entrepreneurship with sustainable ideas that can propel us forward.
Well-defined beef and dairy industries are not common, although they exist to some degree around urban centers. Most stock are kept under extremely simple management conditions and receive little supplementary feeding or health care. The ability to cope with environmental stress is the prime criterion for survival.
What is required is the discipline and a well-defined strategy to maintain global standards and create viable products ranging from semen to meat and other beef products.
The Boran, a descendant of the Zebu, also does well in parts of Kenya that are considered unproductive. Although the Boran breed is indigenous to East Africa mostly in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, the commercial breeding is not as developed as that of South Africa which has a more developed association dedicated to Boran breeding.
Boran Bull
The Kenya Boran breed is more significant as it is differentiated from other Boran sub breeds due to its size and well-developed hindquarters. Mature male Kenyan Boran cattle range in size from 550 to 850 kg, while females are from 400 to 550 kg. This breed was developed from the Orma Boran, Borana, and Somali Boran.
Ndemo emphasizes that “Successful branding of our beef begins with selecting the right breed.”
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