Ufugaji Bora Mashinani: Transforming Lives, Improving Pastoralist Livelihoods through Training

Grace Metiaki from Naibunga Lower Community Conservancy displays the animal feed blocks.

46-year-old Grace Metiaki from Naibunga Lower Community Conservancy spent most of her life herding using traditional livestock keeping techniques. Often, she experienced cataclysmic failures, and her livestock would bear the brunt of the ineffective practices she employed.

In 2021, an opportunity emerged for her to undergo animal husbandry training through NRT Trading’s Ufugaji Bora Mashinani Program, which is supported by the United States Agency for International Development’s Local Works Program, and aims at increasing the livestock production capacity of 300 herders from 10 NRT member community conservancies.

This year, as part of her training, Grace went on an educational exposure tour at the Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organisation with 30 other livestock market agents. The experience broadened her horizons and elevated her to new heights of pasture production and management.

“The learning tour provided a platform to engage with experts, pose questions, and observe real-world application of the concepts taught in class,” she explains.

Grace Metiaki (left) from Naibunga Lower Community Conservancy displays the animal feed blocks.

Fuelled by a determination to succeed and apply her newfound expertise, Grace invested in pasture development and put an isolated piece of land she owned to good use, transforming grass into her most valuable asset.

“I was eager to practice pasture production and management as I had been losing hundreds of livestock to drought,” she adds.

Grace began to manufacture her own animal feed blocks, ensuring they were wellbalanced by adding vital nutrients such as animal salts, feeds, and molasses. As her training progressed, Grace learnt about conservation and the benefits of acacia pods. Harvesting and conserving acacia pods, she discovered, opened a world of endless possibilities and kept her herd fed throughout harsh drought seasons.

Grace Metiaki from Naibunga Lower Community Conservancy preparing her animal feed blocks.

Deeply encouraged by the success of her initial efforts, Grace is preparing another piece of property to increase her pasture output.