Community perception of importance, trends, and variations of indigenous grasses in Southern Kenya

Grasses among pastoral and agro-pastoral communities have for centuries been used for varying purposes. The objective of the study was to compare pastoral and agro-pastoral perceptions on the importance of indigenous grass species. Trends in abundance and accessibility of grazing lands in Kajiado and Makueni Counties were also compared. A total of 23 and 14 grass species were found to be common in Kajiado and Makueni Counties respectively. In both counties, livestock feeding was ranked highest at100% by the respondents. Thatching was second in both counties with income generation third in Makueni county and fourth in Kajiado county. Other grass uses were mulching, raw materials for silage and composite manure, and litter for chicken hatcheries in Makueni County. Declining trends of various indigenous grass species, quality and availability of grazing lands was mainly attributed to drought (96.8%, 98.2%), increased human population (85.7%, 78.2%), and overgrazing (60.3%, 65.5%) in Makueni and Kajiado counties respectively. Species such as Panicum maximum and Digitaria macroblephara, that are important but are declining are rarely studied, multiplied or promoted, such species should be further studied for their yield and nutritional value. Knowledge of variations within species and the preference of some varieties (ecotypes) over others by communities shed light on an existing knowledge gap amidst the scientific community. Further investigations should be carried out to look into the difference in nutritional status at different stages of growth, biomass and seed yielding capabilities as well as drought and grazing tolerance of the various ecotypes.