Agricultural Research & Extension Network Network Paper No. 131 July 2003 ISBN 0 85003 678 X The Agricultural Research and Extension Network is sponsored by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) The opinions expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect those of DFID. We are happy for this material to be reproduced on a not-for-profit basis. The Network Coordinator would appreciate receiving details of any use of this material in training, research or programme design, implementation or evaluation. Network Coordinator: Robert Tripp Administrative Editor: Alana Coyle Administrator: Fiona Drysdale Abstract Fodder shrubs have great potential for increasing the income of smallholder dairy farmers. This paper documents their uptake in central Kenya and the efforts of a range of institutions to promote their adoption. The successful dissemination of new knowledge-intensive practices such as fodder shrubs requires much more than the transfer of knowledge and germplasm; it involves building partnerships with a range of stakeholders, ensuring appropriateness of the practice, assisting local communities to mobilise resources, and ensuring participation of farmers’ groups in evaluating the practice. The main challenge of the future is how to make such flows of information and germplasm self-sustaining. Research findings • Fodder shrubs are an attractive alternative to the expensive protein concentrates that farmers feed their dairy cows and goats. They involve substituting small amounts of farm-sourced land and labour for farmers’ most scarce resource: cash. • The average farm in the Embu area can easily accommodate the 500 shrubs needed to supplement the basal feed of a cow, which is composed mainly of Napier grass and crop residues. This number of shrubs will allow a farmer to feed roughly 6 kg leaves per cow day to feed a dairy cow. • The leaves can be used either as a substitute for dairy meal or as a supplement to it; in both cases they earn a household about $US 98–124 per year, following the year of shrub establishment. • Fodder shrubs are a knowledge-intensive practice requiring, considerable training and facilitation, especially the first time farmers establish a nursery and again, about nine months later, at harvesting. Policy implications • Mechanisms are needed to enable government extension services and other development partners, such as non- governmental organisations (NGOs) and private enterprises, to incorporate successful new practices, such as fodder shrubs, from localised projects. • Extension approaches are needed to enable farmers’ groups, on their own, to access information on new practices. Governments and development partners should not see their role as simply transferring technology and information to farmers. Rather, they should focus on assisting farmers’ groups to mobilise their own resources and enhance their ability to obtain information on improved practices from outside their villages. • Assisting farmers to adopt new cost-saving technologies to produce a commodity that has serious marketing constraints is problematic. Improved milk marketing systems are needed in Kenya before technical innovations can achieve maximum impact. THE ADOPTION AND DISSEMINATION OF FODDER SHRUBS IN CENTRAL KENYA Steven Franzel, Charles Wambugu and Paul Tuwei Contact Details Steven Franzel is an agricultural economist at the World Agroforestry Centre (formerly International Centre for Research in Agroforestry). He can be contacted at World Agroforestry Centre, P.O. Box 30677, Nairobi, KENYA. Tel : 254 2 524000. Email : s.franzel@cgiar.org Charles Wambugu is a dissemination/extension specialist at the World Agroforestry Centre (formerly International Centre for Research in Agroforestry). He can be contacted at World Agroforestry Centre, P.O. Box 30677, Nairobi, KENYA. Tel : 254 2 524000 Email : c.wambugu@cgiar.org Paul Tuwei is an agroforester with the Kenya Forestry Research Institute, based at Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Research Centre, Embu. He can be contacted at KARI, RRC-Embu, P.O. Box 27, KENYA. Tel : 254 161 20873 Email : kariembu@salpha.co.ke