When Washington Musanhi from Ward 11 in Murehwa started fattening his cattle using homemade feed from forage legumes in 2023, he had no idea it would change his life.
“I joined the program in 2023, under the Ukama Ustawi project. From that time, I learned that cattle need to be fattened through feeds formulated from forage legumes if one is to realize any meaningful income from livestock. I sold one animal at an abattoir in 2023. Although it was a bit aged, I realized a good profit.”
His story is not unique. Across southern Africa, especially in rural Zimbabwe and Zambia, smallholder livestock farmers are starting to see major improvements in income and resilience—all thanks to a game-changing approach to local feed production.
The revolution turning local crops into big gains
At the heart of this agricultural shift is a simple idea: use what grows locally to boost livestock productivity and reduce dependence on expensive commercial feeds.
Through the CGIAR Scaling for Impact program, the International Livestock Research Institute is leading efforts to help farmers produce their own affordable, drought-tolerant livestock feed using legumes and crop byproducts. Working closely with Zimbabwe’s Department of Agriculture Research and Innovation Services and Zambia’s Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, ILRI is promoting commercial-scale feed production at the ward level—right where farmers live.
The key ingredients? Low-cost, high-nutrition legumes like velvet bean (Mucuna), lablab, forage cowpea, and dual-purpose groundnut are mixed with crop residues to make high-performance hay and grain-based feed. These blends can fatten cattle and goats within 60–90 days, significantly increasing meat yield and income.
Local feed means local power
In 2024, ILRI held two rural outreach events in Murehwa (Mashonaland East) and Madziva (Mashonaland Central) to train farmers and showcase the benefits of forage-based feeds. Over 280 people attended the Murehwa field day, held at lead farmer Oscar Makamba’s homestead, while 210 turned out in Madziva, including students, AGRITEX staff, and private sector players like AGRISEEDS.
Demonstrations covered everything from growing and storing forages to using diesel-powered feed chopper-grinders that ILRI has invested in for community use. Boer goats in Madziva were shown feeding on the home-grown rations, highlighting the affordability and nutritional punch of the new diets.
“We are promoting forage-based livestock feeds. During our research, conducted in partnership with farmers, we observed that mature cattle on a legume-based diet were gaining 0.5–1.0 kg per day. Those who were consistent in feeding their livestock for at least 60 days realized a net carcass gain of approximately 30 kg per animal. If a farmer were to sell the now upgraded animal at USD 4.50 per kg (economy grade price), multiplied by 30 kg gain, they would have already realized a net USD 135 improvement in income from the extra weight only, before factoring in additional margin brought from the rest of the carcass,” said Godfrey Manyawu, ILRI forage scientist.
Pen-fattening as a business opportunity
ILRI is now going a step further—commercializing the formulations. With support from ARISS, they’ve developed and registered standardized diets for cattle and goats. These will be sold in retail outlets by mid-2025 and made available to farmers who want to mix their own at home or partner with local manufacturers.
This will create businesses that increase rural prosperity, positively impacting poverty alleviation as well as youth and women's empowerment.
The May 2025 meeting between ILRI and ARISS outlined plans to scale and industrialize the feed innovation, tying it directly to Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy. The idea is simple: turn every rural district into a feed hub—cutting transport costs, creating jobs, increasing livestock productivity, and helping communities adapt to climate shocks.
It’s a model built on resilience, inclusion, and income.
This article was adapted from CGIAR- Read original here: Forage-based livestock fattening rations gaining popularity with smallholder beef and goat producers in Zimbabwe - CGIAR
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