Busia’s dairy farmers milk benefits of ‘achak’ weed
What you need to know:
- Thanks to the innovative achak dairy block meal, milk production has increased between 35 and 40 litres per day from each cow.
Henry Musungu walks the breadth and width of his one-acre farm in Busia County plucking the leaves of a weed. From afar, one may think he is clearing his farm of the unwanted plants. But he has use for them.
“These weeds are ingredients for animal fodder,” he tells Business Daily as he stuffs them inside a sack.
Until two years ago, Euphorbia heterophyllus popularly known as achak in local dialect was considered a wild poisonous plant. But for Mr Musungu, the plant acts as a component of dairy feeds which not only boost milk production but the animals’ health.
“I have started domesticating this plant because when my cows feed on it, the litres of milk I get per day triple,” says Mr Musungu.
The plant grows between 30 centimetres and 70 centimetres in height and has no petals. The weed has flowers which produce seeds that are planted directly into the soil.
Dr Geoffrey Kamau, a senior researcher at the Kenya Agricultural Institute (Kari) says the weed which is common in western, central and eastern parts of Kenya is palatable to livestock.
“We analysed samples of the plant in 2010 through a project on local innovations,” he said. Dr Kamau says the feed sample was analysed from a farming group in Busia called Pembe Tatu.
The group was combining achak, Desmodium, maize and Leaucaena to make a local dairy meal to boost milk production. “I use the plant to make a dairy block which my Friesian cow consume,” says Mr Musungu.
He says in 2009 when he was grazing his three Friesian cows, he noticed that they preferred a particular weed that flourishes in the bushes. According to Mr Musungu, whenever his cows fed on the wild weed, the amount of milk he got per day from each cow would increase five-fold.
Since its approval by Kari in 2010, the weed has drawn the attention of the Ministry of Agriculture which is encouraging farmers to embrace and domesticate it. The name achak is coined from a Dholuo word meaning milk. This is because of the white liquid content produced when its leaves are cut.
“Achak is green. It is a leguminous crop and the roots have nodules hence its ability to fix nitrates and improve soil fertility,” he says. He says when the leaves produce a white content which is rich in iron hence its capacity to increase milk production in dairy animals.
“We have about 30 farmers embracing this crop. I uproot the seeds of achak weed from the nearby bush and replants them. The seeds are planted directly into the soil and takes about one week to germinate,” says the 39-year-old. “I can start feeding my cows on achak after one month,” he says.
Kari trained Mr Musungu to supplement the weed with other products. To make a dairy block, he mixes achak leaves with Desmodium plant and mixes it with molasses grass scientifically known as Mellenis minuti flora and sweet potato vines. The mixture is dried under a shade and is taken to a posho mill for grinding.
“Mix the flour with water, add molasses and then put in a mould. The mixture, now in form of brick is dried under a shade for about one week. Agricultural lime is used to make it compact. The cows can then lick it.”
Unlike before when he would spend a small fortune on feeds, Mr Musungu currently spends only Sh1,500 both for animal feeds which are now readily available and treatment.
“Previously, I spent at least Sh8,000 a month on the two Friesian and Zebu cows. The litres of milk I got did not match the expenses incurred on animal feeds,” says Mr Musungu. Most farmers fed their animals on napier grass and supplemented it with dairy meals which were expensive for small scale- farmers in the region.
“A 90 kilogramme bag of dairy meal retails at Sh4,000 and one cow can consume one bag in a fortnight. This is very expensive for low- income earners,” he says. He says despite spending too much on the animal feeds, the milk he got was still much below his expectations. According to him. He says 27 litres was too little.
Thanks to the innovative achak dairy block meal, milk production has increased between 35 and 40 litres per day from each cow. Initially, he would get between 20 and 25 litres of milk per day.
