Namibia turns crop residues into livestock feed as Africa explores local feed resources

NAMIBIA – The Musese Green Scheme in Namibia’s Kavango West region has launched an animal feed operation using crop residues and locally produced forage, converting maize remnants, mahangu stalks, oats and dry grass into livestock feed while creating an additional market for agricultural production.

The feed operation began after the scheme’s maize harvest ended last month. 

It produces green chops, silage and hay from green foliage crops, dry grass, oats, maize and harvested mahangu stalks.

The feed is used for cattle, pigs and chickens, although only chicken feed is currently sold to the public. Most of the feed is used within the operation to support cattle production.

Winni Metzger, who privately operates the green scheme, said the operation is designed to make greater use of materials remaining after crop production.

“The animal feeds we produce are green chops, silage from green foliage crops and hay from dry grass, oats, maize and mahangu harvested stalks,” he said.

Musese has around 2,500 cattle, with some animals now grazing on harvested fields and consuming remaining crop stalks and plants. 

Their manure is subsequently returned to the fields, creating an integrated crop-livestock production system.

Metzger said grass and oat seeds are imported from South Africa, while solar-powered irrigation is used because conventional electricity costs make irrigating large areas expensive.

Crop residues emerging as feed resource across Africa

The Musese model reflects a wider interest across Africa in using crop residues to address livestock feed shortages and make greater use of locally available agricultural resources.

In Kenya, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has documented crop residues as an important livestock feed resource and has investigated approaches to improve their collection, processing and nutritional value. 

Its research highlights opportunities including more efficient storage, processing and utilisation of crop residues, alongside the development of fodder markets.

ILRI has also examined technologies for pulverising crop residues and approaches for converting agricultural residues into more nutritious livestock feed. 

Research has included adapting second-generation biofuel technology to make nutrients in crop residues more accessible to livestock.

Zimbabwe provides another example of the importance of crop residues in livestock feeding. 

FAO research has identified maize and sorghum stover and legume haulms as important feed resources, particularly during dry periods when natural grazing declines. 

Some farmers harvest and store residues for later feeding, while research has examined physical processing and supplementation to improve their nutritional value.

More recently, an FAO-supported programme in Zimbabwe trained more than 9,000 farmers across 10 districts to conserve hay and crop residues and improve the nutritional value of low-protein roughages through practices including urea treatment and supplementation.

From farm residue to commercial feed

The growing interest in crop residues reflects a broader opportunity for Africa’s feed sector. 

Rather than treating stalks, straw and other agricultural by-products as waste, producers can collect, conserve, process and formulate these materials into feed resources for periods when pasture and conventional feed ingredients are limited.

For Musese, the feed operation also forms part of a wider livestock and food business. 

Metzger buys cattle from local farmers, including through livestock auctions in northern communal areas, and processes some animals for meat sold through his 15 Winnis Maize Shops across Namibia.

The scheme is also looking to expand its livestock market through Meatco’s commodity-based trading system. Metzger plans to establish a quarantine facility at Musese to reduce the cost of moving cattle to facilities outside the region.

Established in 1977, Musese is one of Namibia’s oldest green schemes. 

Its latest feed initiative demonstrates how integrating crop production, livestock and feed manufacturing can create additional value from agricultural production while strengthening access to locally available feed resources.

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