Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa practice mixed farming, comprising cultivation of crops and keeping of livestock.  Shortage of fodder and animal diseases represent the most serious constraints to animal husbandry.

An important benefit accruable from push-pull technology adoption is the exploitation of its fodder provision component. Push-pull technology provides all-year round quality fodder, and this is one of the main motivating factors for its adoption by many livestock farmers. icipe incorporates animal husbandry in the Push-pull technology dissemination and collaborates with Heifer International (http://www.heiferkenya.org) in training farmers on proper animal care and effective exploitation of fodder from push-pull farms. Heifer International also facilitates farmers to acquire improved livestock breeds.

The push-pull technology thus opens up significant opportunities for smallholder growth and represents a platform technology around which livestock keeping and other new income generation and human nutritional components can be integrated. This improves the smallholder farmers’ opportunities to enter into the cash economy.