Nairobi: Kenya is stepping up research into improved cattle breeds, quality feeds, and climate-resilient pastures as it seeks to increase beef production, improve farmers’ incomes, and bridge the country’s persistent meat deficit. At the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Beef Research Institute in Lanet, Nakuru County, scientists are combining advances in animal breeding, nutrition, and pasture development to help farmers produce heavier animals and better-quality beef at a lower cost.
According to Kenya News Agency, Catherine Ndungu, a research scientist in animal breeding and genetics at the institute, highlights the potential of the improved Boran breed, particularly in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid areas. The breed is well adapted to the local environment, converting available resources into meat efficiently. It is heat tolerant, can travel long distances in search of pasture and water, and withstands harsh conditions that challenge some exotic breeds. Bulls can reach up to 900 kilogrammes, while females can attain between 450 and 500 kilogrammes, with a dressing percentage of about 55 to 60 percent.
KALRO is conducting research to enhance traits such as body weight, feed conversion efficiency, adaptability, and disease tolerance before making improved animals available to farmers. The research also explores crossbreeding to combine desirable traits from different cattle breeds, like crossing the Improved Boran with the Orma Boran, which is known for greater disease tolerance.
Lorna Chesire, an animal technologist at KALRO, explains that researchers are developing locally formulated feed rations to improve weight gain, muscle development, and meat quality in cattle raised under feedlot systems. The institute focuses on finishing steers aged between 24 and 30 months before market. KALRO has formulated grass- and silage-based rations incorporating ingredients such as maize germ, Rhodes grass, wheat bran, and mineral supplements, while examining locally available protein sources like acacia and prosopis pods and leaves.
Mercy Jerop, a plant breeder at KALRO, states that the organization is developing pasture varieties suited to different agro-ecological zones to help farmers cope with climate change. Among the Napier varieties promoted by KALRO are Bana grass and Omega-1, with Super Napier under research. Additionally, KALRO has developed locally adapted Brachiaria varieties, BS1 and KS1, which mature within three to four months.
John Njoroge, a meat trader and butcher at Jamu Meat Center, reports strong demand for quality beef, with KALRO being his main supplier. Despite higher prices, his business attracts customers due to the quality and tenderness of the meat. The message from KALRO is clear: closing the meat deficit relies on producing the right animals, feeding them properly, and ensuring quality pasture throughout the production cycle.
