Fodder Production with Spate Irrigation and Road28 Run-Off Practical Note Spate Irrigation Note Spate Practical Practical Note #28 animals pass annually on their way to Middle million 1.5 where Berbera, of port the the at sell fodder will who traders to sold and dried, and thefodder howeverholders.of The majority cut is and livestock basis tobesolddairy farmers fodder to nearby is transported towns on a daily fresh Somaliland, and in season high rainy the In is growing. fodder for demand the Moreover, (Nawaz, 2014). year each hectare per 500 - 450 US$ between receive labour is required. Farmers as not much with other livelihoods. Returns are good, especially husbandry practices and can easily becombined any ploughing or other labour-intensive crop diverts simply require not does It watersfloodplain. spate the on it as simple, most its at irrigation spate is This 2014). (Nawaz, production fodder for fields these use subsequently and flooding, of theperiod during rivers ephemeral along fields Acommon inundate their practice currently isthat farmers period. conflict the during damaged system that wasto restore the farming badly in thelastdecades are striving communities rural endeavour.Somaliland, this In in role playeda all moisture replenishmentand retention techniques soil and species, plant beneficial and resilient of Selection conditions. dryland difficult in livelihoods usingtheirinnovativehistory of capacity to sustain water. Pastoral have communities a and farming flood spreading by extensively fodder growing floods; of use making of method high-return but This Practical Note describes arelatively easy The risingdemandfor fodder Figure 1:Eragrostis superbagrass inBeer, Somaliland,commercialised inurbancentresandtheBerberaport Hre Tail), (Horse arid environments includeChlorisroxburghiana increase theproductive potentialinsemi-aridand farming.Rangelandof grasses that have shown to that they can be grown underdiverse conditions these and data showsgrasses have beenresearched of number A cattle. particularly livestock, to produce goodqualityfodder for theruminant rangeof grasses already exists thatcan be used number large a However, base. resource fodder the grasses,strengthen to seeds,particularly plant tend to focus on reseeding areas with suitable Efforts toimprove drylands’productive capacity species grass Potential of production asanationalwater savingmeasure. fodder domestic its banned having Arabia Saudi markets. Thedemand ishighwithe.g.Eastern such as Westernas Kenyasuch Westernand Uganda. The (Rhodes) grass that is found in high potential areas theChlorisgayana Horse tailisarelative of (Horsetailgrass) Chloris roxburghiana that (Musimba etal.2004). assuming area, an germination andgrowth conditionsareideal of capacity carrying dryland ecosystemsanddoublethelivestock these identified indigenous grass species as suitable to rehabilitate has Kenya in al. Research et 2015). (Mganga grass) Rye (Wild and macrostachys grass) Love (Maasai superba Cenchrus ciliaris Cenchrus Fx Tail), (Fox Enteropogon Eragrostis Fodder Production with Spate Irrigation and Road Run-Off research shows that it can produce 4 - 5 tons of dry dry of tons 5 - 4 produce can it that shows research There it is at full maturity. when hectare per matter under little information its production on very exists and Pratt a brieffor by statement except irrigation reportedwho (1977) was grass the that Gywenne Turkana conditions in spreading water tried under while using a tine cultivator. grass) Eragrastis (Maasai Love Superba is Maasai whicha Love tufted grass, is successfully seeds that It has large dry areas. used in moderate can be easily harvested, unlike the and Horse Tail production hay It is best used for grasses. Tail Fox long a for grazing intensive withstand not it may as There is a need to harvesttime. at the the grass optimal when time, the biomass still includes green spell. dry the during stemmy too grows it as leaves, Dry matter yields can be up to 3 tons per hectare in the first two growing seasons under protection. to seeds allowing for call will Management fall during harvest, to sustain plant time. density over maintain continuous production and Figure 3: Eragrostis grass Figure 3: Eragrostis Figure 4: Livestock grazing in Somaliland’s dryland ecosystems grazing in Somaliland’s Figure 4: Livestock Figure 2: Cenchrus Ciliaris (African fox-tail) Fox tail grass is a tufted semi-arid to arid land is a tufted semi-arid to arid land tail grass Fox remarkableresilience in species that shows grass grow. to soils loam sandy prefers it where drylands, It is called Ndata Kivumbuit because in Ukambani resistant to grazing It is very dry ant hills. on grows pressure. high grazing to cope with very is able and self-sustaining is tail fox managed, properly When and produces good stresses ofto the combined subjected high grazing quality hay, the unless During patterns. weather adverse and pressure it is dry spell, it offers excellent forage due to green nodal tillers, thus provides highly nutritious forage in spite of The limited existing the dormancy stage. (Fox tail grass) tail Cenchrus Ciliaris (Fox grass is not very prolific in germination, but a quite a germination, but in prolific very not is grass establishment. good under seeder satisfactory Once established, it forms a very to It is resistant grazing. direct and both hay for stalk pasture livestock for acceptable and pressure grazing tail requires Horse ofpoint nutrition a from view. to fire) of application from (e.g. management good yields can Forage fodder. maintain highly nutritive be very high, between 3.5 - 4.5 tons per hectare results in excellent gives The grass when mature. Kenya’s Kitui District where it has been tested to reseed rangelands. Practical Note #28 Figure 5: Leptadenia hastata inNiger Figure 5:Leptadenia hastata other resources are finished. Its tolerance towards tolerance Its finished. are resources other a tree. In Niger, it is used as a forage, when all the of stem the cover also can but soil, growsthe it on during the rainy season. As can be seen in figure 5, grows strongly duringthedrought seasonand slows It down wind. of result a as mainly erosion, soil combat to suitable very and drought, to resistant particularly is plant perennial This 2017). Delmas Niger isalsoknown as hanam or yadiya (Kimba & example is the Onenotable rangelands needstoberesearched. semi-arid torestorefodderadequacy banks of forgotten grass species whose potentialand often of variety large a is there Africa, of Horn Besides thegrasses that are indigenous tothe environments. is a candidate for fodder production in semi-arid it hence and high, be can production matter Dry tolerant and good for reseedingdegraded areas. drought is It (mid-bloom). stages appropriate at grazing and burning harvesting, i.e. supply, feed requires management toensurecontinuousquality nutritiouswhenyoung.particularly WildRye plants in justonegrowing season.Thegrass is The seeds will germinate and grow to mature produces many seeds that are reasonably viable. and shrubby Wild Rye soil. wooded,rocky terrain withonlypockets of to adapted well very is that grass perennial tufted prolific a is Rye Wild macrostachyus Enteropogon Once unwanted vegetation speciesof aresettledintoafield,itbecomesdifficultto eradicate. flood flows also resulted in the invasionof unwanted vegetation, most notably mesquite, within the fields. of spreading free the that noticeable it was Beer, Somaliland, in level field the At posed. be to needs Despite the many benefits to promote grass species and floodwater use for fodder production, a warning Box 1Invasive species plant, which in which plant, Leptadenia hastata (Wild Rye (Wild grass) water from roads as well as spate flows from flows spate ephemeral as rivers. well as roads from water todivertboth potential thatremainsunutilised huge is There ecosystem. whole the benefits which recharge, to groundwater contributes floods and honey.Additionally, roadwater harvesting run-off and plants other non-timberforest asgumand products such medicinal of collection collection, biodiversity, fuelwood grazing, avariety it for be purposes, of used are rangelands floodplain Somalilandshows.as thecaseof Roadside and floodwaters, of spreading by and floodplains harnessing in better ensured be can growth plant drylands. A high soil moisture content and prolonged entry methodologiesto boost fodder production in water are two from viable and low- road runoff enhance spate irrigationproduction. and Heretheuseof to to important soil moisturereplenishmenttomaximizefodder is it species, fodder a pose desiccation grassthreat tothesustainableproduction of and variability climatic As Innovative harvesting water schemes. whether it can be grown fodder production of as part see to Somaliland and Kenya in tested is conditions soil considered excellent. Ithowever should be further adverse and insects drought, Fodder Production with Spate Irrigation and Road Run-Off Drylands Drylands currently face great challenges in terms ofbeen It has management. their sustainable Kenya ofin percent drylands 30 over that marked are seriously degraded (Musimba, 2015), part with of them of disappearing with the hand-in-hand This trend heading towards desertification. whichat occurs species, grass perennial indigenous an alarming et al. rate (Mganga 2013). Perennial protect essential to however is cover grass run-off lands against vulnerable and erosion. of the spreading By systematically introducing short term floodsfrom ephemeral rivers highly a and revitalized from or be can road drylands drainage, system – in terms production of returnproductive to with fodder Growing be introduced. labour – can floodwater has several advantages: (1) it turns a threat water)(flood into an asset; (2) it reliefs the an creates and rangelands on the dry pressure (3) and system, production rewarding economically and hence it it preparation requires almost no land shortare that in areas applied be also can in skills and labour. http://www.thewaterchannel.tv/media-gallery/6341-some-fodder-grasses-indigenous-to-kenya http://www.thewaterchannel.tv/media-gallery/6334-the-potential-of-indigenous-fodder-grasses For more information on the potential of fodder grasses, watch TheWaterChannel at: TheWaterChannel watch information on the potential of more grasses, For fodder As this Practical Note based on shows experiences to ways viable are there Kenya, and Somaliland in and intensify expand Drylands production. fodder of source to that contributes biodiversity are a key are ecosystems dryland However, livelihoods. rural climatic increased and change use land with fragile, in an environment being major stressors variability startto with. This water-stressed already was that loss ofand degradation has led to serious land the servicesecosystem whichupon depend. livelihoods The depletion of can partly semi-arid pastures be within pressure land-use increased to attributed the last fifteenyears, due to a number of factors (Mganga et al. 2013). These are notably climate, the and human population in livestock and increase of potential migration the high populations from this overall Within areas. marginalised to areas picture, the loss of the fodder resource base for impact on livestock and its subsequent negative pastoral livelihoods has special importance (ILRI, 2016). Conclusion Practical Note #28 • • • • • • • • References Nawaz, duringfieldwork K.(2014)Ownobservation inBeer, Somaliland; Agriculture andVeterinary Kenya ScienceSouthEastern University; Musimba (2015)Personal LectureNotesPasture Communication, andfodder of production, School Kenya. OSSREA.AddisAbaba,Ethiopia; Development intheSouthernRangelands of Musimba N.K.R.,D.M. Nyanki, C.K.Ikutwa &T. Teka (2004) Degraded Semi-AridRangelands inKenya.to Rehabilitate TheRangelands (37),5; Journal Mganga K.Z.,N.K.R.Musimba&D.M. Nyariki (2015) Livestock. Grass LandForage Sci.,70(1); inSemi-Arid Desertification InfluencedKenyan to Combat Rangelands isGreatly byTheir Forage Value for Mganga K.Z.,N.K.R.Musimba,D.M., Nyariki &A.W. Mwangombe (2013) Science andTechnology; Semi-AridEnvironment inKenya. J. theDenudedPatches Env. of of Moisture inSuccessfulRehabilitation Mganga K.Z.,N.K.R.Musimba,M.Nyangito, D.M. Nyariki &A.W. Mwangombe (2010) /GDT20171. d’information mais uneplanteoubliée. RECANiger [RéseauNationaldesChambresd’AgricultureduNiger], Note Kimba, A.&P. Delmas(2017)Leptadeniahastate(hanamouyadiya); desuperbespotentialités ILRI News (2016) Elite cultivars of thelivestockfeeding kind-forages forElite cultivars thefuture.June2016,PDI; of Competitive Index of ThreePerennial GrassesUsed Competitive Index of Dryland Husbandry for Sustainable for Sustainable Husbandry Dryland The Choice of GrassSpecies The Choiceof The Role of The Role of Practical Note #28 For moreinformation:www.spate-irrigation.org. 2 1 This notehasbeenpreparedby NashonMusimba Colofon MetaMeta Research, PostelstraatMetaMeta Research, 2,‘s-Hertogenbosch,theNetherlands. South EasternKenya University, P.O. Box 170-90200,Kitui. This Practical Noteiscreatedincollaboration with: 1 , Karim Nawaz 2 andDanielWiegant 2 .