Sylvester Wazome is a trailblazing young pasture farmer from Wundanyi, Taita Taveta County, Kenya, who, through the Livestock Feed Commercialization Project, has become a role model to other young farmers in Mwakireru village.

The Livestock Feed Commercialization Project is an initiative implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. The project aims to promote the sustainable development of the feeds subsector by addressing the shortage of feed resources to increase livestock productivity in Kenya. With a focus on gender and age inclusivity, this project is creating employment opportunities for young people in Kenya.

Sylvester’s story highlights the power of training and persistence. From a young age, Sylvester’s passion for agriculture propelled him to study agriculture and drop out of a Diploma Course to work in the fields.

However, Sylvester encountered many obstacles when he first ventured into agriculture, often having to stay home and help guard crops to try to prevent them from being destroyed by wildlife, particularly baboons and monkeys. Despite his best efforts, the wildlife continued to damage the crops, leaving the family struggling to produce enough food and earn additional income from farming. A turning point for Sylvester was when he embarked on his pasture production journey.

During a peer-to-peer learning tour organized through the Livestock Feed Commercialization Project, he learned about planting fodder from splits. Despite initial hesitance from his parents, Sylvester adopted fodder production practices as an alternative to planting maize, which was not suited to his home area due to poor soils and attacks by wild animals.

Within 2 months, Sylvester had gained his first client and earned USD 150 from selling fodder, a significant amount compared to what the family’s traditional farming practices had earned. Sylvester used the income to provide food and essential items for his family, impressing his parents and convincing them to allow him to expand fodder production on their farm. He also became an inspiration to others, as more young people in his local area took up commercial pasture production.

Sylvester also learned how to make silage and received training on agribusiness. He expanded his fodder production to an additional acre and mobilized fifteen other young farmers to join him, forming the Mwakireru Youth Group. Together, the group focused on:

• Fodder Production: Planting assorted fodder varieties for seed multiplication and selling splits. In just three months, Sylvester sold up to 5000 splits from half an acre, earning him USD 1,250. Each member of the youth group is involved in pasture production.
• Service Provision: Providing silage-making services to the community for a fee. They charge USD 25/day for hiring the silage shredding machine and USD 4 as a daily professional fee. By July, they had already served 18 farmers.

To expand his market reach, Sylvester joined the local dairy cooperative society called Tagho Dairy Cooperative. This cooperative advocates for older farmers to allocate land to young people for fodder production and allows Sylvester the chance of client referrals. Sylvester is also constructing a 1000-bale hay barn as a satellite storage facility for the cooperative.

Through FAO and Mastercard Foundation’s support, Sylvester has planted sugar graze and now plans to make silage for his three dairy animals. Their support has also enabled Sylvester to be trained on feed preservation, group dynamics, record keeping and market access.

“Through this project I have been trained on calculation of profit and loss, after which we realized that in our zone we cannot produce maize profitably. This further reinforced my resolve to engage in pasture production.” – Sylvester Wazome

Sylvester’s story illustrates how young people can be inspired to turn their passions into careers that not only contribute to their success, but the success of their communities. His dedication, learning, and networking efforts have improved his family's livelihood and empowered other young farmers in his community.

With the support of initiatives like the Livestock Feed Commercialization Project, Sylvester's venture into fodder production and silage-making is set to benefit the local dairy industry and create a sustainable income source for the youth in the region. With sufficient fodder production, there will be enough feed for the dairy farmers in the county which will lead to increased productivity and increased opportunities for job creation and incomes across the value chain.