A new extension brief by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) explains the principles of haymaking using tropical grasses and legumes.

Produced by ILRI researchers and partners in Zimbabwe, the brief gives practical steps on how smallholder farmers can make hay from grasses and legumes such as cowpeas, velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) lablab (Lablab purpureus) including details on cutting, conditioning and storage of hay.

Hay is a very popular form of forage preservation that provides an important source of animal feed in smallholder farming systems where natural rangeland is increasingly limited.

Download the brief: Principles of haymaking using tropical grasses and legumes