Rabbit farmers to benefit more from sale of urine

Vihiga County women representative Dorcus Kedogo (left) chats with senior assistant director of agriculture in the Ministry of Agriculture Philip Makheti (centre) and county executive in charge of Agriculture Nixon Amendi after launching the rabbit urine’s plant. The plant is expected to help in production of organic fertiliser to increase yields. [Photo:Eric Lungai, Standard]

A plant for collection of rabbit urine for production of organic fertiliser has been commissioned at Kegoye Secondary School.

The project by the national government under the Affirmative Action Fund will help small-scale farmers rearing rabbits to benefit from the sale of the urine.

It targets groups of farmers who have in the past tried keeping rabbits and failed to benefit from them due to poor market structures.

Senior Assistant Director of Agriculture in the Ministry of Agriculture Philip Makheti said the idea was well timed. "Few people think of utilising the rabbit's urine.

Many people often think of the rabbit's meat, and then life ends at that. We need to think further of new solutions and ways of adding value to whatever we have in our farms," Makheti said.

He said the market has a scarcity of organic fertiliser, and the addition of the rabbit's urine extra organic liquid manure will help farmers reduce over-reliance on inorganic fertilisers.

Mr Makheti said the ministry will support the 250 members who have started the plant, by giving them money to invest in many other agricultural practices.