In a bid to beat unemployment, Teresa Kibiri has created employment for herself and 50 others through grass farming.

Kibiri revealed she started the venture with a capital of Sh10,000 over five years ago after completing her diploma studies in Fashion and Design.

In partnership with her mother and sister, they started growing brachiaria grass on a two-acre farm in Nyeri and an acre of Super Napier pakchong 1 in Kagere Othaya.

According to her, grass farming is a promising agribusiness as it takes a short time to mature. She plants the grass directly or first deep them in a root enhancer fertilizer then add manure when planting.

The Super Napier Pakchong 1 is one of the most in-demand livestock feeds due to its high crude protein content of between 16 to 18 percent.

Crude protein is a very important component of animal feed as it is required on a daily basis for body condition maintenance, lactation, growth, weight gain, and reproduction.

”Running a dairy farm successfully means one must give his or her cows the right fodder. Farmers should set a small portion of their land for hybrid fodder,’’ she says.

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Kibiri says the grass grows to a height of 10 feet and it is harvested 90 days after planting. An acre requires 3,000 cuttings which can be propagated after 90 days to expand the land under grass. Each cutting is sold at Sh50.

Among the challenges encountered in the venture is drought which forces them to rely on irrigation water which can be expensive.

Another concern is pests which cause extreme loss in some varieties if not controlled effectively.

”Some varieties of Brachiaria like Mullato 2 and Cayman are attacked by spider mites, especially during the dry season. These mites are very difficult to control,’’ explains Kibiri.

The grass can be sold to farmers directly from the farm or baled for hay and silage. The farmer who markets her produce through social media hopes to educate other Kenyan farmers on the benefits of grass farming.

She notes that demand for the fodder is increasing rapidly and has set up 24 more acres of grass in Rumuruti to address the demand.

Besides farming grass, Kibiri also trains people about fodder production at their demonstration farm and through Zoom meetings and WhatsApp.