Testing the production of hydroponic fodder for cattle
Can hydroponic fodder provide an eco-friendly way for cattle raisers to access fodder, increasing the year-round availability of feed and reducing pressures on land use and associated conflicts?
LOCATION | Nigeria
SECTOR | Climate and Environment
TECH | Internet of Things
TIMELINE | December 2021 - December 2022
PIONEER | Ogechukwu Omeribe
PARTNER | M.E Solutions (AgriTech)
The Challenge
In Nigeria, there are politicised conflicts over access to land and water between cattle herders and farmers. With over 7 million nomadic herders and 25 million cattle in Nigeria, former grazing routes are now farmland which has caused soil degradation and poor quality pasture, only increasing the number of conflicts surrounding resources. Hydroponic fodder is young grass grown from cereal grains. It grows quickly over 7 days, produces a higher yield than grass grown in soil and uses 80% less water. Hydroponic fodder is an eco-friendly alternative to the traditional method of grass-growing for animal feed, but can be expensive to set up, maintain and monitor.
The Idea
This pilot will use sensors and IoT technology to determine the optimum moisture for seeds growing into hydroponic fodder and ensure automatic watering at the right times during the 7 day growing period. Solar energy will be used to power the water pumps and provide lighting. If successful, using hydroponic fodder for cattle can have many positive impacts for climate adaptation, such as reduced soil degradation and water consumption, and can reduce climate emissions through the use of solar energy and improved cattle diets, therefore reducing their methane emissions. If we build a scalable approach for different types of cattle raisers to access fodder through hydroponic grass grown by farmers, we will increase the year-round availability of feed and reduce pressure on land use and associated conflicts.
This pilot is ongoing and key learnings are forthcoming. Stay tuned!
All photos on this page were taken by the pilot’s implementing partner, M.E Solutions (Agritech).Read more
Learn about the pilot’s First Sprint — “Introduction”
Read the lessons learned from the First Sprint and the experiments conducted in Sprint 2 — “Through the Storm”
Learn about the pilot’s two experiments in their third Sprint — “Soil vs Hydroponics”
Read about the pilot’s fourth sprint and their key learnings surrounding four experiments — “Moving to where technology and people intersect to create change and improve lives”
Learn about the pilot’s implementation in Gwagwalada, Abuja — “And then there was land…”
Explore the Hydroponic Fodder Pilot Learnings
Learn from the Hydroponic Fodder Set-up Guide
Read the Technical Whitepaper on Testing the Production of Hydroponic Fodder
Read the full pilot report here