DIFFUSION STRATEGIES
Several institutions have been involved in forage introduction and dissemination in the region. The NDDP introduced Napier grass for dairy cattle feeding as a high-quality basal feed in 1981. The project provided planting material and assisted farmers to secure loans to buy dairy cows. Later, in 1987, the project encouraged planting of Leucaena and Gliricidia as fodder trees to bridge the protein gap in feeds.
The NDDP was an active partner in the KARI-ILCA collaborative project, which fostered strong research-extension-farmer linkages through on-farm trials and regular meetings. Because of continuous interaction, good relationships developed among researchers, extension staff and farmers. Monthly seminars and regular workshops were held, mainly to review results from field studies and on-station experiments. From 1991 onwards, meetings of researchers and senior extension staff were held to review program activities and new proposals. In these meetings, research-extension working groups were formed to supervise on-farm trials. One such trial was the evaluation of forage production systems on farm. Prior to the implementation of this trial, farmers were exposed to different forage production systems in meetings and through demonstrations. Those interested were further trained on the implementation of the trials and participated in their planning, monitoring and evaluation. Field days and demonstrations were held in the fields of participating farmers to expose more farmers to available forage technologies.