The Garissa government has launched a pasture reseeding programme to improve the quality of livestock and end conflicts between pastoralists and farmers over grazing land.
The six-month initiative is a collaboration involving the county government, World Food Programme and Kenya Livestock Market System.
It is aimed at improving pasture and will involve sowing seeds that thrive in arid and semi-arid lands.
The county has identified Gababa, Hara, Bura, Nanighi, Ohio, Benane, Maalimin and Alikune as locations for grazing and holding livestock before they are taken to the market
The intervention will increase the available pasture for grazing and reduce conflict between livestock traders and the local community, officials said.
Director of Livestock Development Hared Hambe who flagged off the programme on Thursday said the intervention targets 10 acres at each site for reseeding.
"The programme will develop seed bulking blocks around water pans for future propagation‚” Hambe said.
He said the fodder cultivation programme will enable the county plug its shortfall of two million bales of hay annually, which the county buys from neighbouring regions.
“This programme will cushion the pastoralist communities against food and nutrition insecurity as well as shrinking incomes occasioned by livestock losses and reduced production during dry spells," he said
The livestock marketing system is supporting logistics for reseeding and training of the Rangelands resource management committee in five locations across the county.
The WFP has provided 500kgs of Eragostis superba (maasai love grass) and 500kgs of Cynchrus ciliaris (african foxtail grass) seeds.
The seeds will enable reseeding of degraded rangelands during the ongoing rains.
The launch at the Garissa Agriculture Training Centre was attended by programme manager John Kutwa, county programme coordinator Mercy Moge and World Food Programme's Philip Lonioo.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
