The identification and introduction of a new crop in the highlands of Kenya

Abstract

African range cattle respond well to intensive feeding in feedlots, when maize silage based rations are fed. Maize is not drought-tolerant and is lodging-susceptible, which makes it less attractive as a forage. In a search for alternative forages, a new group of plant material is introduced: high-altitude, cold-tolerant sorghum. Some of the cultivars in this group appear to outyield maize both in terms of total dry matter and grain yield, over a large range of environmental conditions in the Kenyan highlands. Crop husbandry trials with the new sorghums and maize are reported. In an animal feeding trial the cattle performance of maize and sorghum silage based rations is compared. The introduction of new high-altitude, cold-tolerant grain type sorghums may eventually lead to a substantial increase of the area under arable agriculture in Kenya, because it will make grain production feasible in areas which were previously considered too dry for reliable grain production. A discussion of the typical problems of working on agricultural development in a developing country is given