Science through the lens

Livestock farming in Tanzania: preserving rainy-season fodder for the dry season

Population growth and shrinking water and land resources are escalating conflicts between wildlife and human interests across many parts of Africa. One such hotspot is Mlele District in western Tanzania. Located amid several protected areas, it’s a region where some local villagers rely on cattle farming to make a living. To help mitigate these human–wildlife conflicts, farmers are adopting methods such as silage production for animal feed.

Jonas Chastonay, CDE

Grazing in protected areas leads to conflicts

Around 40 per cent of Tanzania’s land is under some form of protection. Grazing of livestock is prohibited in these areas – and the penalties for noncompliance are substantial: In February 2025, for example, a livestock farmer was fined over 20 million Tanzanian shillings – just over 6,000 Swiss francs – for grazing his animals inside a protected area. In addition to the legal risks, livestock farmers also face the threat of predators such as lions, leopards, and hyenas attacking their animals.

One of the main reasons for grazing in protected areas is rapid population growth: In the Katavi Region, where Mlele District is located, the number of inhabitants rose from 564,604 in 2012 to 1,152,958 in 2022 – an average annual growth rate of 7.1 per cent. As a result, human settlements are encroaching further and further onto protected areas, not least due to a lack of alternatives and poverty.

However, grazing inside protected areas further deteriorates habitats, leads to land degradation, and increases the costs of nature conservation – in addition to generating social costs.

Feeding the herd on site

Adjustments such as improved land use planning, effective wildlife corridors, and strategies to deter wild animals have been implemented or are under discussion. A further way of mitigating conflicts between livestock farmers and wild animals is for farming families to grow their own fodder whenever possible.

A crop that has proved to be particularly suitable as a forage crop is Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum), also known as elephant grass. It’s grown on small irrigated plots, mown every two to three months – and, as demonstrated by one farmer in Inyonga, can be preserved as silage using molasses from a nearby sugarcane plantation. Together with other fodder, such as maize residues, the fermented fodder in this case provides for a herd of 140 cattle.

Feed for the dry season

Silage is particularly useful during the dry season, which is becoming harder to navigate due to recurring droughts. It preserves the fodder grown during the rainy season to feed livestock once pastures are grazed down and pressure to graze on the adjacent protected areas increases. This allows the herd to remain on the farm all year round.

However, Napier grass only reaches its yield potential when watered. The farmer in Inyonga currently irrigates his crop using a deep well, from which he pumps water using a diesel generator. While fuel costs are not negligible, the farmer says the silage system allows him to keep more animals, boost milk yields, and increase his income – all while spending far less time herding the cattle.

And with his cattle no longer wandering off to where the grass is greener, conflicts around land – particularly around protected areas – are eased.