Sheep are valuable livestock in Kenya as they produce food, such as meat, milk, fleece, and other products. In addition, sheep are important both for agriculture and biomedical research. Even though these small ruminants provide essential goods, there are major obstacles preventing the efficient, sustainable, and profitable production of sheep.

sheep farming in kenya farmers trend

In Kenya, most of the goats (91%) and sheep (87%) are raised in the arid and semi-arid pastoralist areas. Their potential is constrained by a number of factors including drought, diseases, poor infrastructure, insufficient extension and animal health services. Drought is a common phenomenon in Northern Kenya resulting in decreased vegetation cover and frequent drying up of available water sources. This often leads to loss of livestock and therefore lost sources of livelihoods for pastoralist communities.

Sheep and goat farming in Kenya is popular because the animals, compared to the larger livestockย  species, are cheaper to buy and maintain, reproduce rapidly hence have high turnover and are easily traded for either cash or for barter trade exchanges. The animals, in addition, are known to adapt well to pastoralist and agro-pastoralist ecological systems common in Kenya. It is because of the simplicity of sheep and goats keeping that disadvantaged groups particularly women often rely on their production.

This article is significant because it summarizes major challenges facing sheep farming in Kenya.

1. Disease and parasite

High prevalence of diseases and parasites is a serious constraint on sheep farming in Kenya particularly in more humid areas. High incident of diseases may cause high mortality among lambs, kids and results to low reproduction performance. Farmers ranked diseases and parasites as major constraints to sheep production in the study area. The reasons for high prevalence of diseases and parasites might be due to high cost of drugs, long distance to health care centres and visibility of animal health advisors.

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2. Shortage of feed

Around 70% of agricultural land in Kenya is suitable only for extensive livestock production. Livestock on communal grazing areas depend on low quality roughages during prolonged dry seasons for their nutrient requirements.

Livestock on communal grazing areas depend on low quality roughages during prolonged dry seasons for their nutrient requirements

Livestock in communal grazing areas is characterized by a low reproductive, high mortality rate, low weaning percentage and severe weight loss.

3. Lack of infrastructure

Infrastructure is viewed as one of the key pillars for enterprise profitability. Lack of infrastructure isย  a third constraints whereas market access is the fourth constraint. There link between constraints especially in rural areas where there are no access roads and marketing facilities.

4. Market access

Marketing constraints such as poor availability of infrastructure likely affects small-scale farmers more than production challenges.

5. Shortage/lack of water

The main sources of water in most communal grazing areas are rivers and dams. Farmers ranked shortage of water as fifth constraints. Shortage of water might be due to high stock numbers, expansion of irrigated land for crops, human consumption and household use along with scarcity of rain due to climate change.

5. High cost of drugs/vaccines

The sixth sheep farming challenge raised by farmers in Kenya was high cost of drugs. High cost of drugs/vaccines are the major causes for high mortality rate among sheep producers under small-scale production system.

6. Stock theft

Stock theft is a key challenge for sheep farming in Kenya. High stock theft may be caused by high unemployment rate and quick cash yield.

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7. Other challenges facing sheep farming in Kenya

Other challenges facing smallholder sheep farmers in Kenya include, insufficient veterinary and extension personnel, predators, cattle rustling, poor market prices, climate change among others. In pastoral areas of Kenya, animal health facilities are inadequate and where they exist they are concentrated in urban and peri-urban areas

Recommendations

  1. There is need for future research that can identify the appropriate technologies that can be utilized to reduce the impact of the identified production constraints including diseases.
  2. Despite the challenges, there are potential opportunities for improvement. These opportunities need to be prioritized and coordinated by policy makers so as to realize efficient interventions.
  3. Control of the priority diseases of small ruminants should be enforced/prioritized since these livestock cushions families from adverse effects of climate change and poverty

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