
Grace Meitiaki proudly displays a collection of neatly stacked brownish-green "livestock cakes" that weigh approximately four kilogrammes.
Grace Meitiaki proudly displays a collection of neatly stacked brownish-green blocks that weigh approximately four kilogrammes.
From afar, they look like hardened bricks for construction, but up close, the faint, sweet aroma of molasses reveals their true nature—livestock cakes.
"This block weighs about four kilogrammes. It is enough to feed at least one cow, and the results will be evident in terms of milk production," says Ms Meitiaki.
This simple yet innovative creation of livestock cake is now promising to revolutionise how pastoralists in arid and semi-arid northern Kenya care for their livestock, in the face of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
Ms Meitiaki explained how the ‘cakes’, made from a blend of dry grass, molasses, and a special nutrient-rich powder, were transforming the lives of pastoralists like her.
As she lifted a block, the coarse strands of dry grass woven together and held firmly by the sticky molasses were visible.
"Probably, this is the future in our homeland. We have been reeling from the effects of droughts for long, and it has taken a toll on our lives," she says.
Samburu pastoralists entirely depend on their livestock-cattle, goats, sheep, and camels— not only for survival but also for cultural pride and identity.

Grace Meitiaki proudly displays a collection of neatly stacked brownish-green "livestock cakes" that weigh approximately four kilogrammes.
However, in recent years, frequent and severe droughts have decimated grazing fields, where pastoralists were left on the edge while struggling to feed their herds.
Traditional coping mechanisms, such as migrating from one place to another in search of fresh pasture, have become less effective, as climate change intensifies and with increased competition for scarce resources with neighbouring pastoralist communities.
Therefore, livestock ‘cakes’ are a type of innovation that pastoralists are developing to sail through during tough times.
So far, more than 300 women within the Samburu community have been trained to manufacture the product using locally available grass mixed with other ingredients.
The women's resilience initiative of making livestock cakes is being supported by the Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT), which is also implementing several resilience programmes within conservancies in Northern Kenya.
The NRT Regional Director Burton Lenanyokie hailed the "brilliant innovation" by the women which he said was informed by the need to find solutions for climate changes affecting pastoralists.

Grace Meitiaki proudly displays a collection of neatly stacked brownish-green "livestock cakes" that weigh approximately four kilogrammes.
"In this part of the country, we depend on livestock as our economic mainstay. But nomadism is being frequently affected by climate changes and even stiff competition for water points and pastures," said Mr Lenanyokie.
The official believes that the initiative would make pastoralists more climate-resilient and avert livestock losses that usually occur whenever drought hits.
"We realized we could not keep relying on the rains alone. We needed something we could produce and store for the dry season. The cake is intended to be given to the animals every day, and it improves the digestibility of ruminants. All that the pastoralists need to do is offer a block for the animals to lick," Mr Lenanyokie said.
The process of making the livestock cake is quite straightforward, but rooted in careful planning and resourcefulness.
Ms Meitiaki explains that it begins with harvesting dry grass and is then stored for later use. When it is time to make the cakes, the dried grass is cut into small pieces and mixed with a special powder containing essential minerals and vitamins.
Molasses, sourced locally or purchased from suppliers, are added to bind the mixture together and enhance its palatability for the animals. The resulting blend is pressed into molds to form compact blocks, which are left to dry under the sun.
Ms Meitiaki reveals that once hardened, the cakes can be stored for months without losing their nutritional value.
They are easy to transport, simple to use, and provide a balanced diet for livestock even during the harshest of dry spells.
"Before, we used to watch our animals grow weaker and weaker during the dry season. Others often resort to feeding cows, especially calves porridge. Now, with just one cake a day, they stay strong and healthy," she says.
Dr Wario Sake, a project officer at the NRT Mashinani Works -a community empowerment programme - explained that they were accelerating the 'ufugaji bora' programme across conservancies in northern Kenya.
The official revealed that more than 300 women had graduated from different modules of training that address animal health, market, rangeland governance, and animal feeds and supplementation.
He said that the biggest challenges, including droughts, have continuously caused feed deficiency and even mass livestock deaths across Northern Kenya.
"We are training women and they have embraced the technique. They are now making livestock feed preservation innovatively to help address persistent challenges," Dr Sake says.
Samburu women who are traditionally tasked with caring for the animals and managing household food supplies, have taken a leading role in producing and selling the livestock cakes.
During the recent "historical " drought, more than 213,567 livestock were killed by drought in Samburu, while serious losses were experienced across the pastoral region due to the severe drought.
According to the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), Samburu County was one of the worst affected by the drought and registered mass animal deaths.
Pastoralists were also forced to sell their emaciated animals at throwaway prices or risk losing them altogether to severe famine. Subsequently, the value of livestock, which is pastoralists' main livelihood, deteriorated and led to a shortage of milk production.