The Potential of Brachiaria Grass in the Smallholder Dairy Fodder Flow Systems: A Review

Abstract

Brachiaria grass (Urochloa brizantha) is a perennial grass that is native to most parts of Africa. The grass was enhanced in a tropical region of Latin America, where it revolutionized both animal and grassland cultivation. Its traits have conclusively demonstrated that Brachiaria grass may increase cattle productivity in its native land in many areas of Africa, particularly in East Africa. Since pastures provide the majority of the feed for smallholder dairy animals, it is necessary to investigate the possibility of incorporating these modified native grasses into smallholder dairy fodder flows. Improved native grasses must be incorporated into dairy fodder flows because of declining pasture growth patterns and seasonal fluctuations in pasture nutritional composition. The impressive results recorded in foreign lands together with some experimental results in East and Central Africa indicate that Brachiaria can have a significant impact on dairy production. This paper, therefore, reviews research work done in Africa on Brachiaria to stimulate further research works by others.