State raises concern over invasive weeds in rangelands amid overstocking

Stephen Lapian displays Opuntia cactus, an invasive species that has colonised the grassland affecting efforts to ensure feed for livestock in Mukogodo Division, Laikipia county. [File, Standard]

The government has termed as worrying the spread of invasive species in rangelands due to continued overstocking that has reduced land available for grazing in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Andrew Karanja said data indicated a worrying trend of overstocking within the pastoral communities.

This emerged during the Kenya National Feed and Fodder Emergency workshop in Naivasha which is meant to prepare for the projected adverse weather conditions.

In a speech read on his behalf by Prof Abdi Guliye, the Advisor, Livestock and Rangeland Management, the CS noted that overstocking has led to low productivity. 

Dr Karanja said the trend had affected the government-led initiative of exporting livestock and their products to international markets due to low body weight of animals.

“Though the Government has secured various international markets for livestock, we are unable to meet the market demand due to the low body weights of our animals,” he said.

Kenya relies heavily on its livestock export to Middle East countries of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

The CS said that the ministry was leading in the rehabilitation of the exploited lands to secure the ecosystem and ensure sustainable exploitation for pasture production. 

Karanja said that the Government was in the final stages of developing a policy for land commercialisation which would help avail idle government land for investors to produce.

“This initiative that is underway will greatly contribute in reducing the feed deficit and make our country's animal feed secure,” he said.

The CS noted that the animal feed industry has been relying on imports for protein feed ingredients for animal feed manufacturing.

“Most of these ingredients are sourced from neighboring and South African countries and they come with unpredictable customs and border tariff regimes,” he said.

State Department for Livestock Development PS Jonathan Mueke said that the government was keen to reduce the cost of animal feed.

He said that the ministry was supporting producers in adopting suitable technologies to increase animal feed production and reduce the national deficits from 60 to 40 percent.

“To reduce feed imports, the government is finalizing plans to make public land available for commercial fodder production under Public-Private Partnership arrangements,” he said.

Mueke said that around 75 per cent of livestock were found in rangeland where there was massive degradation through invasive species.

“These invasive species require management even as we support rehabilitation of rangeland through reseeding to increase the biomass available for feeding livestock,” he said.