Lucy Wairimu is among thousands of farmers who have benefitted from The National Agriculture and Livestock Extension Program.
After learning about the training program that targeted farmers intending to rear goats, Wairimu, who did not have a job, never looked back.
She learned about the advantages of rearing goats and the best rearing practices for more profits. Wairimu later joined a savings group that enabled her to save enough to purchase goats.
“We were taught how we should feed the goats. A cow eats 75 kilos, which feeds six goats. He also told us that a liter of goat’s milk sells for Sh160 while cow’s milk only fetches Sh50. We decided to start a group and together save money to buy goats,” She said.
Types of breeds for profitable dairy goat farming in Kenya
She currently owns over ten goats that supply her with over 30 liters of milk daily, fetching her some Sh5,000. According to her, the venture has not only changed her financial status but has also boosted the health of her family.
“When I started rearing goats, I had high blood pressure. When I slowly started drinking goat milk, I became a lot better. My children are really healthy. They do not get any diseases, neither malaria nor anything else. Goat’s milk has been good for our health.” Added Wairimu.
Goat milk is superior to cow’s because it is rich in calcium and amino acids, which are necessary for the development of healthy bones. it is also low in cholesterol and, therefore, safe for people who are keen on cholesterol intake.
How to examine a dairy goat before buying
While goat milk is said to yield more per liter than cow’s, production in Kenya is way below cow’s milk. A litre of goat milk costs up to Sh300 in supermarkets.
Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture indicate that the country is home to about 15 million goats, but only 400,000 are dairy goats.
The low dairy goat farming uptake can be attributed to the myriad of challenges facing the sector, which include a lack of quality breeding stock, cartels in the industry, and poor funding for research by the government.
Supplement feeds for dairy goats are also a big challenge to farmers as they are not manufactured in large quantities compared to those of cows.
I would like to buy some goats from lucy
I would like to venture into dairy goats farming.
Kindly link me up with Lucy Wairimu, whose story is featured here
I am interested in rearing dairy goats like the one on this picture and seriously wish to buy kids or young goats for my farm in Kirirnyaga. Someone please assist me on who to contact for detail or sale of same.