Graham Benton is founder and managing director of LishaBora Hydroponics, a Kenya-based start-up that produces a barley nutrient supplement targeted at smallholder dairy farmers. LishaBora operates a greenhouse system where it grows barley seeds using nutrient-rich water. The end product, a fodder mat that looks like grass, is fed to cows as a replacement to nutrient concentrates. The product is said to improve milk yields by up to 30%.
Benton tells How we made it in Africa about his solution to some of the challenges smallholder dairy farmers face, and the lessons he has learnt in business. Below are edited excerpts.
https://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/boosting-milk-yields-of-small-scale-dairy-farmers/