Explain four measures taken by the government of Kenya to improve beef cattle farming

KCSE Geography Paper 2 2008 Section B Question 6.

The photograph below show cattle rearing in an area in Kenya. Use it to answer question (a)

​a) i) Identify the type of photograph. 

• Ground /ground general view

ii) Describe the features shown on the photograph. 

• On the foreground there is bare ground/some short vegetation cattle browsing /grazing.
• In the middle ground there is a herdsman and some cattle on the move/raising dust.
• There is a road in the middle ground 
• At the background there are some patches of grass/some trees/shrubs/thickets
• Some parts of the background are bare surface
• There are in the middle
• Clear skies in the background
• There is a fence in the middle ground

iii) What three indicators show that the area was experiencing drought When the photograph was taken.

• The cloudless sky
• The malnourished/thin animals
• Dust raised by moving animals
• Bare ground/sparse vegetation /patches of vegetation/little vegetation
• Patches of dry /brown grass

​b) Discuss nomadic pastoralist in Kenya under the following sub-headings;
i) The cattle breeds kept 

• The pastoralists keep mainly indigenous breeds such as Zebu and Boran.

ii) The pattern of movement 

• Their movement is seasonal.
• During the dry season the pastoralists migrate with their livestock to the highlands where there is pasture and water
• During the wet season they move to the plains since pasture is available.

​iii) Marketing of the animals.

• Some cattle are sold to slaughter houses/to individuals.
• Some pastoralists sell their livestock through community groups/ranches.
• Some livestock are sold to the livestock are sold to the livestock marketing Department
• Some pastoralists sell their animals to Kenya Meat Commission.

​c) i) give three reasons why nomadic pastoralists keep large herds of animals. 

• It is a form of insurance against natural calamities /diseases / drought.
• Animals are kept as a sign of wealth/prestige/social status.
• Animals are kept for use to pay dowry.
• Animals are used as a source of food/milk/meat/blood
• Animals are a source of income

​ii) Explain four measures taken by the government of Kenya to improve beef cattle farming 

• It encourages research /the cross-breeding of traditional cattle breeds with exotic ones. This improves the quality of the animals/cross breeds are more resistant to diseases than pure exotic breeds
• It strengthens community education to teach beef cattle farmers better livestock managements
• It has constructed roads to make services accessible to farmers/make transportation of animals to markets easier
• It encourages the replacement of the coarse grass with nutritious pasture to improve the quality of animals.
• It has sunk bore holes/dug wells/constructed dams to provide water for the animals.
• It has revived Kenya Meat Commission (KMC), a government parastatal that buys animals from farmers for slaughter.

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