Seeds4Range Project: Enhancing livestock based livelihoods through indigenous grass seed for fodder production and rangeland restoration in Marsabit, Northern Kenya

Start: Jan 2022 - End: Dec 2024

Seeds4Range is a three-year project running from January 2022 to December 2024. The project is implemented by the Center for Research and Development in Drylands with funding from Biovision Foundation, Switzerland.

The project aim is to enhance the livelihoods of communities dependent on livestock production through improved availability of indigenous grass seeds for fodder production and rangeland restoration in Marsabit county, northern Kenya. While the livestock production system in the proposed project area faces a number of challenges, the increased rainfall variability often resulting in frequent drought conditions poses a great risk to the livelihoods.

Extending fodder availability into the dry season is expected to improve the resilience of the livelihood systems and maintain livestock productivity during the dry periods. In addition to making the communities self-sufficient in producing their own quality fodder, improving the variety of grasses in the livestock feed is envisioned not only to increase the nutritional value of the fodder but restore the biodiversity of the rangelands.

The target community groups will adopt ecological practices that will increase their income from the sale of fodder thus improving household capacity to respond to climatic risks and shocks. The good practices from the interventions will be disseminated through peer-to-peer sessions and organized learning sessions between the communities and rangeland scientists.

Further, the project works closely with customary and contemporary resource management institutions to extend the benefits and sustainability of good practices. Strengthening such institutions is a prerequisite for the extension of restoration efforts to wider rangelands.

The Objectives of the project include: -

• Enhance mutual understanding of indigenous grass species and restoration measures established among multi-stakeholders.
• Support communities to adopt ecological practices of grass seedbanks for enhanced fodder production and rangeland restoration.
• Upscale effective grass seeds and fodder production measures through knowledge management and learning exchange.

Main project Activities

Establish the Inventory of important indigenous grass varieties through participatory community engagements and information from other stakeholders

• Undertake participatory digital rangeland mapping of areas rich in desired grass varieties and document possible restoration sites.
• Pilot grass seed and fodder production with communities in existing pasture gardens and grazing enclosures (Kalo) areas.
• Strengthen the capacity of customary rangeland governance institutions as vehicles for rangeland restoration.
• Conduct learning sessions between communities and scientists on grass seed and fodder production.