Bridging silage quality gap: A study with smallholder dairy farmers
| dc.creator | Maiyo, Nathan | |
| dc.creator | Lukuyu, Ben A. | |
| dc.creator | Kiptoo, Emmaculate | |
| dc.creator | Habermann, Birgit | |
| dc.date | 2026-01-21 | |
| dc.date | 2026-01-28T12:02:20Z | |
| dc.date | 2026-01-28T12:02:20Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-06-27T17:08:06Z | |
| dc.description | Silage is vital for Kenya’s smallholder dairy farmers, yet poor quality limits productivity. A CGIAR ILRI demand-driven study in Nandi and Bomet reveals implementation gaps beyond adoption, highlighting farmer-led learning and evidence-based interventions to improve silage quality, resilience, yields, and incomes. Silage is increasingly becoming a critical pillar of smallholder dairy farming in Kenya. Seasonal shortages of quality silage, due to environmental, economic, and management constraints, are a significant challenge to optimal animal productivity. In Bomet and Nandi counties, climate variability and shrinking land sizes are limiting year-round access to reliable and nutritious animal feed. Labour shortages, limited access to suitable equipment, inadequate technical knowledge, and storage challenges affect the quality of silage produced. Poor-quality silage can reduce milk yields, compromise animal health, and erode farm profitability. Strengthening silage quality through farmer-led learning has strong potential to enhance resilience, productivity, and incomes within Kenya’s smallholder dairy sector. | |
| dc.identifier | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180777 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/143224 | |
| dc.language | en | |
| dc.publisher | CGIAR System Organization | |
| dc.rights | Open Access | |
| dc.source | Maiyo, N., Lukuyu, B., Kiptoo, E. and Habermann, B. 2026. Bridging silage quality gap: A study with smallholder dairy farmers. Blog Post. Montpellier, France: CGIAR System Organization. | |
| dc.subject | silage | |
| dc.subject | dairying | |
| dc.subject | smallholders | |
| dc.subject | farmers | |
| dc.title | Bridging silage quality gap: A study with smallholder dairy farmers | |
| dc.type | Blog Post |