Fodder Production

Mucuna

Dry season animal feed shortages are faced by the majority of small-holder farmers in semi-arid
Zimbabwe and Mozambique . On farm production of Mucuna, a drought resistant legume, can
mitigate this challenge

Mucuna is a tropical legume which is normally used as Steps in Mucuna Production

a forage crop. It is normally fed to animals as silage,
and dried hay.
1. Prepare your land on time, land can be prepared using the
ox-drawn plough, the ripper or planting basins
2. Apply compound D at a rate of 200kg/ha if manure is
available it can also be applied
3.Plant at the onset of the effective rains
4. When using basins they should be open at a spacing of
90cm Inter-row and 60cm intra-row and one seed should be
planted per station.
5. When using the plough or ripper plant the seeds at an in-
row spacing of 60cm and inter-row spacing of 90cm.

Benefits of Mucuna
• High yielding , yields of 5-12t/ha dry matter can be
expected
• Drought resistant
• Tolerates low soil fertility
• Nitrogen fixing and good for soil health 4. Keep your field free of weeds by weeding once or twice after
planting
• Has a high protein content (11-23%) , good for animal 5. Top dressing is not applied in Mucuna
health

Harvesting Cleaning and Storage

Challenges of Mucuna Production
The major challenge associated with the production of Mucuna
is its toxicity to humans and non-ruminants. The consumption
of Mucuna by non ruminants should be limited. When used for
human consumption lengthy periods of soaking (at least 48
hours) followed by boiling for an hour together with frequent
changes of water during food preparation are required.
• When using herbage for fodder harvest as soon as
flowering begins
• Cut vines 3-5cm above ground level with a clean knife or
cutters and leave to dry in the field for 2-3 days depending
on prevailing temperatures
• On day one after cutting farmer should turn vines in the
field after every 3-4 hours, this helps with even drying
• Before removing from field twist the stem when no
moisture oozes out it is ready for bailing and storage in
the shed.
Feeding
• Before feeding cut vines to small particles of 2-3cm each
• Daily quantities for supplementary feeding are 300-
400g/day for goats and sheep and 1-3kg /day for cattle