Managing Manure to Sustain Smallholder Livelihoods in the East African Highlands

Abstract

One consequence of decreasing size of land holdings in the Central Kenya Highlands is a shift from extensive to more intensive mixed crop/livestock farmmg systems including acquisition of external inputs to feed livestock and replenish soil nutrients. Inorganic fertilisers are too expensive for most smallholders. The scope of this study was to evaluate manure management options that could best conserve nutrients and improve manure quality. A survey documented current and potential manure management options, and evaluated manure physical characteristics and nutrient concentrations that could be associated with manure quality. Results suggest that modification of traditional livestock housing (homa) to the zero-grazing system may have beneficial effects on some aspects of manure quality. In conclusion, the diet fed to the animals and the type of organic materials added to the manure had an effect on the manure quality as assessed by nutrient content and crop response. Livestock make an important contribution to the sustainability of intensive smallholder farming through their contribution to soil fertility. This research has shown that increases in crop yields on smallholder farms in the Central Kenya Highlands, gained from simple techniques for better care of manure during collection and storage, can be substantial and enduring. It may well be that the contribution this research makes to enhancing the competitiveness of the smallholder sector in Central Kenya is increased where improved manure management can be linked to cultivation of higher value horticultural crops.