Lab-lab crop is the way to go for taking care of my cattle

“Year after year, my cattle would suffer because of hunger; last year I lost a cow to poverty,” Fungai Mushango remarks dejectedly. The 48-year-old man lives in Doriyo Village in Chimanimani and has received training on lab-lab crop management.

“I have a total of 5 cattle, of which my nephew Justice Munyamana is keeping 3 of them. We usually have recurring droughts in our area and most of our cattle face starvation during the lean season. Grazing area is a challenge and there is usually a risk of losing cattle as they go to distant areas where some of them are taken by cattle rustlers. As a family man, I need to have a herd of cattle to use them as a last resort in hard times, like when I don’t have money for school fees for my children who are now in secondary school. The interesting thing is that my children and I last tasted milk from my herd of cattle long back as they are usually not strong and healthy enough to be milked. Luckily my nephew managed to be selected by other community members to be part of the ZIRP project in our area and he received 15kgs of lab-lab seed and 5kgs sorghum seed.

The selection of my nephew to be part of the beneficiaries of the project made me very eager to learn about this lab-lab. I only heard of producing crops for animal feeding in commercial farms, not in our communal areas. Together with my nephew, I managed to receive training on planting the crop and other crop management processes at our community hall in November last year as I knew that the cattle he was keeping on my behalf would also benefit together with his four animals.

As promised by the project team, the lab-lab is performing very well and with the training and good rains, I am very sure that the crop will provide enough feed to feed all our cattle in the lean season.

I have learnt a good concept that will be a good weapon in fighting cattle poverty death. Learning about growing fodder crops has been significant this year and the crops that I have assisted my nephew to plant and weed are performing well beyond expectation. I am ready to receive more training on harvesting, storing, and treating the crop for feeding our cattle. This project has taught me a lot concerning the management of my cattle. I have grasped what I have learnt because it is very important to me.”