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Better grass. Better livestock.
This technology is a set of improved Urochloa (syn. Brachiaria) forage grass cultivars for pasture improvement and year-round livestock feeding: Piatá, MG4, Basilisk, and Xaraes. Urochloa cultivars deliver 8–15 t per hectare of dried forage and 8–15 % protein, offering high output for hay and silage markets. Basilisk’s dense mats reduce weeds, while MG‑4’s thin stems dry quickly for hay. Piatá thrives in high altitudes and drought‑prone areas; Xaraes yields high biomass and protects soil on slopes.
This technology is pre-validated.
Every USD invested returns USD 6.8 net income.
Open source / open access
Urochloa (Brachiaria) forage grasses offer a strong business opportunity because livestock farmers need reliable feed. This market has two clear entry points: seed sales (before the rainy season) and hay sales (especially in the dry season). A business can focus on one model or combine both for year-round income.
To design your business, plan activities around
Business model 1: Seed business (produce and sell seed before the rains)
Define whether you are a seed multiplier/producer or a distributor. Plan your season around seed demand peaks (pre-rainy season). Build trust with quality handling (cleaning, drying, moisture-safe storage, packaging, batch records) and compliance with national seed regulations. Create a distribution plan through agro-dealers, cooperatives, dairy hubs, projects, and government programs.
Business model 2: Hay business (produce and sell hay/fodder, mainly for the dry season)
Target areas with strong livestock demand (dairy belts, fattening zones, peri-urban markets). Plan production so you cut and dry hay during the rainy season and sell when demand rises in the dry season. Invest in the basics: cutting tools, drying space, storage, and access to baling services (own or outsourced). Set quality rules buyers care about: hay must be dry, clean, and well stored (no mold, no soil, no weeds).
Selling a “minimum success package” (to reduce farmer failure and increase repeat buyers)
Whether you sell seed or hay, bundle your product with simple support: a one-page guide, short coaching, and a demo plot/field day. This is critical because many farmers fail when establishment is poorly managed, and that hurts your reputation and repeat sales.
Managing the main risks that can kill your business
For seed: poor drying/storage reduces germination and trust.
For hay: poor drying and storage causes mold and rejection.
For both: weak planning around seasons (late seed delivery; hay produced too late) reduces sales and cash flow.
Building market access before production (sell first, then produce)
Secure buyers early: cooperatives, dairy hubs, feed traders, ranches, and projects. Use pre-orders or seasonal supply agreements to reduce risk and match production to demand (seed pre-rains; hay pre-dry season).
Tracking simple unit economics
Keep records that answer: cost per hectare, output (seed or hay), number of cuts per year, selling price per unit (kg/bale), storage/transport losses, and net margin. This helps you price correctly and decide whether to scale seed, hay, or both.
For best results, combine both models: sell seed before the rains and sell hay during the dry season, while protecting quality through good drying and safe storage.
Implementing partners could collaborate with Alliance Bioversity International & CIAT, seed regulators, seed companies, agro-dealer networks, dairy cooperatives/milk collection hubs, feed traders, and farmer groups (including women and youth) to build stable supply and strong markets.
| Target groups | Positive impacts |
|---|---|
| Married women (25–55) with limited control over land (often responsible for finding/collecting forage) | • Save time when forage is planted close to home. • More milk and more cash (milk, hay, planting material). • Can gain more say in decisions when training includes gender topics. |
| Female-headed households (widowed/divorced; small land area; limited labor) | • More control over income from milk/hay sales. • Chance to earn from selling planting material. |
| Youth (18–35), women and men, with little land (often under-employed/seasonal migrants) | • New jobs and small businesses (planting material multiplication, cutting/baling/transport services, “model farms”). |
| Agro-pastoralists / pastoralists in arid areas (collective/customary land) | • Better feed security in the dry season (where systems are more settled). • Can support community fodder banks and land restoration if well managed. |
| Better-off commercial farmers (dairy hubs, ranches) | • Faster adoption (dedicated plots, irrigation, mechanization). • Can structure hay/seed markets and increase sales. |
| Landless farm workers (daily laborers, often women) | • More seasonal jobs (land preparation, planting, harvesting, baling, transport) as forage area expands. |
| Peri-urban small producers (zero-grazing) (very small plots; women often manage feeding/milk) | • Gains from planting on borders/hedges/corners. • Lower spending on purchased feed; steadier supply for animals. |
| Marginalized groups / remote areas (strong patrilineal land rules; weak access to services) | • If reached through women’s groups: entry into planting material/hay markets and better animal feeding. |
| Target groups | Positive impacts |
|---|---|
| Married women (25–55) with limited control over land (often responsible for finding/collecting forage) | • Save time when forage is planted close to home. • More milk and more cash (milk, hay, planting material). • Can gain more say in decisions when training includes gender topics. |
| Female-headed households (widowed/divorced; small land area; limited labor) | • More control over income from milk/hay sales. • Chance to earn from selling planting material. |
| Youth (18–35), women and men, with little land (often under-employed/seasonal migrants) | • New jobs and small businesses (planting material multiplication, cutting/baling/transport services, “model farms”). |
| Agro-pastoralists / pastoralists in arid areas (collective/customary land) | • Better feed security in the dry season (where systems are more settled). • Can support community fodder banks and land restoration if well managed. |
| Better-off commercial farmers (dairy hubs, ranches) | • Faster adoption (dedicated plots, irrigation, mechanization). • Can structure hay/seed markets and increase sales. |
| Landless farm workers (daily laborers, often women) | • More seasonal jobs (land preparation, planting, harvesting, baling, transport) as forage area expands. |
| Peri-urban small producers (zero-grazing) (very small plots; women often manage feeding/milk) | • Gains from planting on borders/hedges/corners. • Lower spending on purchased feed; steadier supply for animals. |
| Marginalized groups / remote areas (strong patrilineal land rules; weak access to services) | • If reached through women’s groups: entry into planting material/hay markets and better animal feeding. |
| Target groups | Unintended impacts | Mitigation measures |
|---|---|---|
| Married women with weak land rights | • Work shifts to women/girls (more cutting/transport/harvesting). • Household conflict if husband captures land or income. | • Add “forage + gender norms” training (joint decision-making, workload sharing). • Offer labor-saving services (cutting/chopping/baling). • Use traceable payments + clear benefit-sharing rules. |
| Female-headed households | • Risk of overload (limited labor). • Exclusion from finance/services; risk of local “land or water grabbing” (where irrigation is involved). | • Targeted vouchers for women/poor households with anti-capture rules. • Small seed/planting-material packs adapted to their capacity. • Formal land-use agreements where needed. |
| Youth with little land | • Benefits captured by elders who control resources. • Risk of being pushed into hard/unsafe work. | • Youth-led service businesses (cutting/baling/transport) with fair contracts. • Transparent targeting (public lists/complaints system). • Safety training and equipment where labor is hired. |
| Pastoralists / agro-pastoralists (arid zones) | • Risk of privatizing commons (“enclosures”) and tensions with mobility. • Unequal access to water/land. | • Community rules for access/management + local agreements on land use. • Plan seed availability suited to the zone + local governance for fodder banks. |
| Commercial farmers | • Capture of subsidies/certified seed. • Land pressure and buyers dominating hay prices (hurting smallholders). | • Use targeted vouchers with anti-capture clauses. • Structure hay markets with transparent pricing and traceable payments. • Strengthen cooperative inclusion rules. |
| Landless workers | • Harder work without protection; wage gaps; unstable jobs. • Possible herbicide exposure if chemical land prep increases. | • Require PPE + safety training + fair wage standards + contracts for hired labor. • Monitor incidents and pay gaps. |
| Remote / marginalized groups | • Exclusion of women through inheritance/land rules. • Misinformation and spread of poor-quality seed through informal channels. | • Distribute quality planting material through women’s groups + mixed channels. • Coordinate with regulators to improve certification/quality and availability. |
| Target groups | Barriers to adoption | Mitigation measures |
|---|---|---|
| Married women with weak land rights | • Limited land and limited decision power. • Low participation in cooperatives (less information/seed/training). • Work is physically demanding; irregular access to quality seed/planting material. | • Small seed/planting-material packs via women’s groups. • Gender-smart training schedules + local languages. • Light mechanization services (cutting/chopping/baling) targeted to women users. |
| Female-headed households | • Limited credit and mechanization; upfront costs. • Labor needed for establishment/harvest. • Market access for bales/transport. | • Targeted vouchers + gradual entry (“small packs”). • Connect to service providers (youth contractors) for cutting/baling/transport. • Support market links for hay/planting material. |
| Youth with little land | • Under-represented in cooperatives (less inputs/training). • Limited land access. • Low capital for equipment and hay stocks. | • Create youth service-business pathways (baling/transport/chopping). • Lower entry cost with targeted vouchers and cooperative inclusion measures. |
| Pastoralists / agro-pastoralists (arid zones) | • Suitable seed not available. • Need collective rules for access/management. • Weak extension/vet services; distant markets. | • Work with local authorities on collective management rules + land-use agreements. • Improve seed availability and certification pathways. |
| Landless workers | • They don’t decide adoption (depends on landowners). • Little access to training and safety equipment; weak contracts. | • Include labor standards in programs: PPE, safety training, fair pay scales, written contracts. |
| Peri-urban zero-grazing small producers | • Very limited land. • Need quality seed/planting material. • Need practical advice (planting density, cutting, conservation). | • Promote hedge/border planting options + tailored coaching. • Provide small packs + close-to-home demos through groups/coops. |
| Remote / marginalized groups | • Isolation (markets/training), weak extension. • Dependence on informal seed channels; transport costs. | • Seed/planting-material distribution through structured channels + women’s groups. • Strengthen certification/quality and reduce bottlenecks. |
|
Cost of the investment Sum of all fixed and operational expenses. |
USD 2,616 Per hectare over 10 years |
|---|---|
|
Gross revenue Sum of all income before subtracting costs. |
USD 20,400 Per hectare over 10 years |
|
Net income Gross revenue minus total cost. |
USD 17,783 Per hectare over 10 years |
|
Return on investment Percentage of income earned for each dollar invested, calculated as: (income ÷ cost of investment) × 100 |
680 % Over 10 years |
| Country | Testing ongoing | Tested | Adopted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | –No ongoing testing | Tested | –Not adopted |
This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.
| AEZ | Subtropic - warm | Subtropic - cool | Tropic - warm | Tropic - cool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arid | – | – | – | – |
| Semiarid | – | – | ||
| Subhumid | – | – | ||
| Humid | – | – |
Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.
Better forage means farmers can produce and sell more milk/meat and also earn from selling forage planting material and hay, which can raise household income.
A more reliable feed supply helps farmers keep animals productive through the year, supporting steady availability of nutritious animal-source foods (milk/meat) for households and markets.
Creates opportunities for women and youth to participate in forage seed and forage value chains, while also reducing labor demands, especially for women.
Increases animal stocking rates and reduces environmental footprint per unit product (emission reductions, land sparing, carbon sequestration)
1. Site selection and land preparation
Choose a well-drained field and prepare a clean, fine seedbed (the seeds are small). Do land preparation before the rains to make weeding easier. If the field has tough weeds (e.g., couch grass), herbicide spraying is recommended. Plough to about 25 cm and harrow to obtain a fine tilth; avoid sloping or uneven land where possible.
2. Planting (start of the rainy season)
Start planting when rains have started well (the factsheet notes sowing can start after about 30 mm of rainfall).
3. Seeding rate and method
Row planting: plant in rows 40–50 cm apart, using about 8 kg of seed/ha.
Broadcast sowing: use 10–12 kg of seed/ha.
4. Cover the seed lightly (do not bury deep)
After sowing, cover the seed with a harrow. On small plots, use tree branches or large brooms to lightly cover the seed. Keep seed depth to 1–2 cm (do not exceed 2 cm).
5. Weed control during establishment
Keep the plot free of weeds during the first 6–8 weeks so the grass can establish well. (Field practice from your draft, maintained as requested.)
6. Fertilisation / manure
At planting, apply a phosphorus fertilizer (DAP) to support root development. Later, apply CAN at 100 kg/ha per year, preferably after rains and ideally after harvesting when soil is wet to support regrowth. In poor soils, farmers can also top up with manure.
7. First cut or first grazing
First use is around 80–90 days (about 3 months) after planting.
8. Regular harvesting / grazing schedule (leave stubble)
After establishment, harvest or graze in rotation. The factsheet suggests about 25–45 days during the rainy season and about 60–70 days during the dry season. When cutting or grazing, leave some stubble to allow quick regrowth.
Last updated on 25 March 2026
This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones.
Drought-resilient Urochloa forage for year-round livestock feeding
https://e-catalogs.taat-africa.org/com/technologies/drought-resilient-urochloa-forage-for-year-round-livestock-feeding
Last updated on 25 March 2026, printed on 26 March 2026
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