Here they grow maize to feed cattle and camels

Mandera County was recently listed as one of the best regions for growing maize.

A study carried out by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and unveiled by President Kenyatta at Egerton University a fortnight ago identified the region as having slightly to moderately alkaline soil, said to be one of the best environments for the growth of maize.

As the country seeks long-term solutions to perennial food shortage, the government, while unveiling soil type information, urged residents of areas with favourable soil types to cultivate more food to feed Kenyans.

But in Mandera County residents are doing things differently. Here, they grow maize to feed their cattle and camels.

Mr Ahmed Dagane, who works as programmes co-ordinator for Rural Agency for Community Development and Assistance (Racida), a local NGO, says that maize does not form part of the locals’ staple food.

“They prefer to grow it as fodder to feed their livestock during dry spells,” Mr Dagane tells Seeds of Gold.
He said maize farmers in the area have made livestock keepers their main commercial target.

“In the end, they make more money than if they had opted to sell the corn,” Mr Dagane says.
Four maize stalks go for between Sh50 and Sh70, depending on their freshness.

Asked why the farmers would not wait to harvest the maize then sell the stalks, Mr Ismail Gulli, one such farmer, says most livestock keepers prefer the stalks with the maize not yet mature.

He also cites convenience as another reason why livestock keepers are attractive customers. “We find selling to them more appealing because it eliminates the hustle of looking for a lorry to transport to market, which is sometimes very difficult for us,” he adds.

But it is not only maize growers who are fast changing the narrative of Mandera County as a region of violence and scarcity of food.

Diversified

Other farmers, like Enow Ibrahim, have since diversified their livelihoods and embraced crop cultivation alongside livestock keeping as a way of broadening their options.

The 49-year-old was at first hesitant to grow crops, but he says the 2008 drought that hit northern Kenya, leaving most livestock dead in its wake, made the idea an appealing one.

“That drought killed all my livestock and I decided to grow crops and diversify my livelihood because it was the third time in just a decade that such a tragedy befell me, leaving me with nowhere to turn ” he told Seeds of Gold from his farm in Rhamu, Mandera County.

Six years down the line, Mr Ibrahim is now a successful farmer who even supplies the far-off towns of Garissa, Wajir and Moyale.

“Racida made it easy for us because they were always ready to help those people who wanted to venture into crop cultivation as a way of diversifying their livelihood,” he added.

The organisation has helped farmers in the region construct boreholes for irrigating their farms, access fertiliser and build green houses.

With their help, Mr Ibrahim has expanded his farm and now grows virtually all food crops from onions and pawpaws to kales and pepper. Mango trees line the river bank, and provide additional income when the fruits are ripe.

“On a good day, I get 12 buckets of tomatoes with each going at Sh1,200,” he boasts.

Racida executive director Mohamoud Duale says his organisation now plans to use the report by Kari to urge more residents to embrace crop farming.

“It is the only way to shield them from perennial droughts that normally wipe out their livestock and leave them starving,” he says.