Babati_Forage_2_Milk

**Problem**
Africa RISING intends to introduce appropriate improved livestock feed processing technologies into the maize-based farming systems of Babati District as an element of improved land management strategies. Due to the maize-based farming system, the opportunity cost of land is minimal for forage production. Large areas are committed to crop production with limited areas of land committed to forage. Feed assessment reports have shown that available pasture are unimproved and of poor quality. Crop residues are abundant but of poor quality and underutilized. This is attributed to poor storage; processing and utilization practices associated with these crop residues. There is also lack of information and access to the most suitable forage processing and handling technologies and the ways in which they can be effectively integrated and used in the system.

**Objective**
The primary objective of the PPP is to determine the viability of small scale processing machines for use in Babati district; to come up with forage choppers and hay balers that meet specifications of small holder farmers without compromising on efficiency and running costs. This can only be achieved if Centre for Agricultural Mechanization and Rural Technology (CAMARTEC) engineers work closely with Africa RISING scientists and the smallholder farmers.

**Opportunities**
Crop residues such as dry and green maize stover (including stripping’s and thinning’s), bean haulms, pigeon pea residue, sugarcane tops and sweet potato vines are commonly fed to livestock in the area. Therefore, Post-harvest forage processing technologies offer potential to enhance use of crop residues for livestock feeding through improved storage, handling, and transportation and processing. This will result in a significant reduction in post-harvest losses which is a potential contribution to improving efficient utilization of resources in mixed farming systems of Babati District.

**Solution**
It is against this background that Africa RISING has made significant strides in brokering PPPs and establishing relationships with CAMARTEC to develop and introduce forage choppers and Hay baling machines in a participatory way with farmers. This is to solve the problem of storage, handling, utilization and transportation of crop residues. CAMARTEC have skills that complement Africa RISINGS technical expertise as well as marketing and distribution networks. Africa RISING intends to leverage on CAMARTEC’s already in existence forage processing machines prototypes to get results that can be sustained in the long term. Africa RISING and CAMARTEC will act together in collaboration with government extension staff and farmers in a participatory way to test and customize the machines to meet local needs.

**Future outlook**
Once machines are refined- will developed and test a business model where interested entrepreneurs will be trained to offer feed processing services to farmers for a fee in the region. This will provide income to the youth and enhance feed quantity and quality.