Feed formulation software in Kenya

Feed formulation software by Mwangi Mumero A Nairobi based software company Fika Systems Limited, has developed an easy to use feed formulation software that will help farmers come up with suitable well balanced feeds for their livestock. At $940 a year, a farmer will be able to make daily feeds for their livestock. “ The software takes into consideration individual farmer's needs, the herd butterfat content, weight and available sources of feed constituents. While millet may be available to farmers in Western Kenya for the formulation of feeds, farmers in Kirinyaga may have to use rice bran”, observed David Shikaga, the Software Development Manager at Fika Systems, during a recent Fair in Nairobi. The formulator is a software package for formulating and analyzing feeds for dairy cattle. The program has been developed with animal nutrient requirements obtained in the National Research Council Bulletin and ingredients composition data from locally available feed resources provided by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and Egerton University , Njoro. The formulator is has been designed to run on various Microsoft operating systems like Windows. “ Using the software, farmers will be able to know what amounts of available feed resources to mix to right the correct proportions. This will be determined by the available feed resources in an area. The software allows farmers freedom to select which materials to mix depending on their dairy cows needs”, said Mr. Shikanga. While the software is currently on trial basis, Fika Systems plan to working closely with KARI to come up with an online platform where farmers can access the software. Shikanga also noted that farmers will also be able to pay for this service via mobile money transfer systems like MPESA. (Ends)