By Mary Mwendwa.
A rabbit farming project was recently launched at Inkisanjani Primary School, Oloitoktok, Kajiado County.The project is aimed at uplifting pupils’ economic standards and their education through rabbit keeping.
Sama Nkapapa, a class eight male pupil , Inkisanjani Primary School says that rabbit rearing will help them raise fees for school and other needs.”Iam happy that i will be part of this group of pupils that will be rearing the rabbits.Here in the village we have many challenges especially during drought when our parents loose the only livelihood and we are left languishing in poverty. Iam grateful for Bayer Company for helping us start the rabbit farming.”
Similarly, Nakenywa Sunte, a female class eight pupil, Inkisanjani believes that , through rabbit farming her poor family will get some income from the project.In our culture not so many girls attend school and with poverty it gets worse.I am hopeful that this rabbit keeping will help me get to high school and help me achieve my dream of becoming a doctor.”
According to Gideon Mapi, Headteacher , Inkisanjani Primary School;”This region is semi arid and therefore our pupils get a lot of challenges when drought strikes and all the livestock they depend on get wiped away by drought.This rabbit rearing project will be a Savior to many because they will be able to raise money for school fees too.As you know rabbits are friendly animals and easy to keep and feed on vegetation that is easily available.We are grateful that our school is part of this economic uplifting of this village.”He said.
Eric Bureau , Bayer East Africa Managing Director , “Today is a beginning of a long journey,it is amazing to see children enjoy the science of rabbit farming and also being in a position to raise money for their fees.”
Mr.Bureau called on parents and teachers to support the children in rabbit keeping and the community at large.He noted that Bayer had planted a seed that needed to be looked at to germinate and bear fruits.
“For a community to be successful, principles must be deeply rooted in education and also economic sustainability depends on youth education. Therefore this project is meant to instill a culture of responsibility in children and biggest advantage is it generates income.”
George Kibanya, CEO Alcare Kenya Ltd,says rabbit farming is not very popular in Kenya yet is among most promising .”Rabbit meat is in high demand and supply is limited.”Rabbits are easy to keep and also friendly, they are easy to feed on vegetables and they feed on almost the whole plant.Rabbit diseases are almost 80% preventable and therefore of these pupils are taught on proper keeping of rabbits they will not have challenges on disease.The common diseases which affect rabbits are ,Coccidiosis, Conjuctivity and bloating ear.
{Rabbit meat has 20.8% protein as compared to lamb meat which contains 15.7% and beef 16.3%}
The entire project which is supported by Bayer East Africa will cost around two (2) Million Kenya Shillings inclusive of six months support .
According to Kenya Agricultural Research and Livestock Organization (KARLO), there are three (3) breeds of rabbits in Kenya; California, Chinchilla and New Zealand white. Flemish Giant is also quite popular around the country. Chinchilla is a grey-brown breed and is preferred because it has a large mature weight.
Most rabbits reach maturity in 5 months and achieve slaughter weight in just 3 months. Rabbit’s reproduce 3 to 4 times annually.
New Zealand and Californian are popular because they can be relied on for fur as well as meat. Chinchilla is preferred for meat because of its large mature size.
Rabbit farming business is very profitable. Anyone can start a rabbit farming business with little investment and capital. The profit of rabbit farming depends on the selection of proper rabbit breeds, care and well management. But selecting the suitable rabbit breeds is most important. There are many breeds available around the world. All this breeds are not suitable for commercial farming. Some breeds are suitable for certain area and some are worldwide.
Apart from the high turnover that is characteristic of this field of business, rabbits have numerous benefits. First, their meat is categorized as white meat. Rabbit meat is white, high quality, easily digestible and low fat. It has low cholesterol and high protein compared to most other meat. Rabbit meat provides low calories per kilogram of meat consumed than pork, turkey, chicken or beef.
