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In this lesson we are going to discuss about Livestock farming

Answer Text:
Livestock Farming
- Rearing of domestic animals including poultry.
a) Traditional/ Pastoral/ Subsistence Livestock Farming
- Rearing of animals on natural pasture involving seasonal migration in search of water and pasture.
Main Areas
- N and N.E Kenya e.g. Turkana, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit, Kajiado, Narok, etc.
- Communities: Maasai, Somali, Borana, Rendile, etc.
Factors Influencing Nomadic Pastoralism
a) Grazing areas are free from animal pests especially tsetse flies for being dry and hot.
b) Savannah grassland and semi-desert conditions which cause grass to sprout during rains and drying during the hot dry season.
c) Availability of grass most times of the year in the bush and wooded savannah.
d) Gentle or relatively flat terrain of the areas which makes it easy for the movement of animals from one place to another.
e) Sparse population of N and N.E region due to harsh climatic conditions which encourages nomadic pastoralism because each
community is able to occupy large tracts of land.
f) Desert and semi-desert conditions which don’t favour agriculture making livestock rearing to be way of earning
livelihood.
g) Tradition of the people whereby animals are a sign of wealth and are used for paying dowry and slaughtered for
festivals.
Characteristics of Pastoral Farming
(a) They keep large numbers of animals as an insurance against natural deaths.
(b) They practice uncontrolled breeding which results into large herds.
(c) Many kinds of animals are kept e.g. cattle, sheep, goats and camels.
(d) Animals are reared for subsistence not for commercial purposes.
(e) They keep indigenous cattle which are hardy such as Zebu and Boran.
(f) They keep animals of poor quality due to lack of quality feeds and weakening by diseases making them to be of low value.
(g) Animals are a sign of wealth and are reared for the purpose of paying dowry and slaughter during cultural festivals.
(h) There is seasonal movement whereby they sped the dry season in one place and wet season in another.
(i) Disease incidences of both livestock and human are common due to tropical conditions.

Products
- Milk, blood, meat and skin for shields, sheaths and clothing.
Problems
a) Shortage of water and pasture due to long dry spell making animals to be of poor quality.
b) Pests such as ticks and fleas which weaken animals and diseases such as east coast fever, foot and mouth and anthrax which cause heavy
losses of stock.
c) Overstocking causing overgrazing leading to severe erosion, poor pastures and poor quality animals which fetch low prices.
d) Lack of extension and veterinary services due to insecurity and constant movement hindering improvement of animals
reared.
e) Low levels of education and culture leading to keeping animals for wealth and prestige making them to overstock leading to severe
erosion, poor pastures and poor quality animals.
f) Poor pastures resulting from poor soils with most areas consisting of tuft grasses and bare land.
g) Cattle rustling which causes loss of lives and destruction of property.
h) Inaccessibility of pastoral areas due to poor roads making the farmers unable to get their animals to the market.
i) They rear indigenous cattle such as zebu and boran which mature slowly, yield little milk and have poor quality beef.
j) Exploitation by middlemen due to lack of market information.
k) Small local market due to sparse population.
l) Competition from national parks leading to conflicts.

Improvements in Pastoral Areas (Measures Taken By the Government to Improve Pastoral Farming)
a) Encouraging pastoralists through the ministry of livestock to start ranching in order to improve the quality of their animals.
b) Improvement of water supply in drier areas by sinking boreholes, wells, construction of dams, etc.
c) Establishment of demonstration ranches to sensitize pastoralists on better methods of animal husbandry.
d) Construction of cattle dips, and setting animal pest and disease organisations to control pests and diseases.
e) Providing extension services to advice pastoralists and offer drug treatment to animals.
f) Teaching pastoralists through formal education about advantages of keeping manageable sizes of herds.
g) Encouraging them to keep smaller number of animals to solve the problem of quality.
h) Ploughing and resowing pasture with more nourishing drought resistant grass.
i) Purchasing pedigree animals and cross breeding with indigenous animals resulting in hybrid stock which is able
to resist many tropical diseases, give more milk and better quality meat.