By Moses Nampala
Rabbits are familiar little domestic animals known, virtually, by all households.
However, no farmer worth their name in the countryside has ever considered rearing the little domestic animals society has largely regarded as ‘pets for children’.
The majority of family heads have sternly discouraged their children with lurking hobby of rearing the little animals.
While in a few households rearing of rabbits has been tolerated, the enterprise has exclusively been a reserve of male juveniles in the home.
But John Okia, 54, of Amatata, Kibale sub-county in Pallisa district, says it is high time society stopped a biased perception of rabbits because the narrative has changed.
Sh3.9b at hand
An Australian research entity has obtained a nod of approval from government of Uganda to mobilise farmers in the countryside willing to do contract farming of breeding a unique rabbit species, ascertained to hold medicinal properties.
“The opportunity largely targets smallholder farmers. The primary objective is helping them come out of poverty if they can engage in commercial rabbit rearing for export to Australia,” Okia, also El-Shadai Rabbit Enterprise country director, says.
The Australian research entity seeks to harvest from each rabbit a set of eyes, fur coat, brains, among others, to make a variety of critical human medicine, while the bye-products, notably droppings and urine, are converted into materials for making fertiliser.
Some of the rabbit droppings would be used as ingredient of yet another cottage industry that makes fish feeds.
The project that registered beneficiaries in northern, Elgon, Bukedi, central and western regions of Uganda, has long secured a land parcel in Butebo district, where construction of a plant has already started.
The plant will host a rabbit abattoir, processing and cold room. Machinery to process rabbit droppings and urine into fertiliser, as well as machinery to process fish feeds, are all part of the plant.
“The potential for rabbit production to grow into a vibrant cottage industry is enormous as the enterprise is cheap to start in terms of money. I am optimistic that the project will create a lot of employment opportunities, irrespective of age, enabling many households wallowing in poverty to become prosperous,” Okia says.
Dr Fred Masika, the project chief veterinary physician, says the rare rabbit species that the Australian research entity seeks to be breed on a large scale is the California red eyes.
Seven years ago, when the project plan was unveiled in Uganda, leaders of the initiative randomly selected smallholder farmers across the country to rear a few rabbit species.
Apart from facilitating the farmers with wooden cage shelter and treating the animals whenever they fell ill, the farmers that piloted the local dietary study for rabbits were implored to feed them on local green matter.
“We would guide the farmers that reared the rabbits on trial exercise to feed the animals on, among others, green forage plants, cabbage and sweet potato vines.”
Dr Masika says the essence of the local dietary pilot study for the species that are exclusively fed on pellets in Australia was in the first place aimed at assessing its adaptability, but most importantly, finding the cheapest local feeding modality that will not strain the farmers when the project starts on a big scale.
“We are delighted to announce that the local dietary pilot study has been successful. We have obtained a local menu that smallholder farmers across the country can adopt with minimal strain and shall keep the little animals healthy,” Dr Masika says.
About california white large red eyes species
The species come in a variety of colours ranging from plain-white, ash-grey, black, brown, with some species having their fur coat blended with more than one colour.
The species have visible distinction from other varieties. The most remarkable and handy distinction of all are the red set of eyes.
Maturity is attained at four months. Averagely, a mature species weighs between 4.5-5kg. Dr Masika contends thFat averagely, a rabbit consumes about 100 grammes of feeds a day.
Conception of a female species is expected when it attains four months. However, due to various factors at times, conception would drag up till it attains six months.
“Very often, delays in conception have arisen if they are not well-fed,” Dr Wasike says.
Yet, on conception, a female species has a gestation period of 31 days. It usually produces between 8-15 little ones.
“The animal has a strange reproductive system. A female could conceive the day it delivers, if it mates with the opposite sex,” Dr Masika says.
Commercial rabbit rearing considers storied cages of 3-4 layers. The cages are made out of timber and metallic nets.
Beneath the floor of a storied cage, iron sheets are fitted complete with gutters to trap the rabbit’s urine. The ideal dimensions of a single chamber of a rabbit cage are usually a foot-squared. Space from one cage floor to another is a foot too.
What farmers say
Esther Kataike, 43, of Petete in Butebo district, says the seven years of piloting the local dietary study has been a learning session.
“Although it is an undisputed fact that these little animals have adapted to local feeds (green matter), a farmer is obliged to observe hygiene. Every local feed they are served, ranging from cabbage, sweet potato veins to banana peelings, have to be washed meticulously clean before it is served to the animals or else they fall ill and die,” she says.
John Okedi, 53, of Kamuge in Pallisa district, says a farmer has to observe hygiene.
“The little animals thrive in a tidy setting, which calls for regular cleaning of the cage,” Okedi says.
Ezera Okecho, 40, of Kibuku district, says when a female gives birth, a farmer is obliged to separate the newly-born from the mother, because mothers that have just delivered have a strange trait of eating their young ones.
It is a prudent practice for a farmer to transfer the newly-born to a separate cage chamber woven with cotton or clean rugs.
“The little ones are briefly re-united with their mother for a purposeful moment of suckling and returned to their secure cage chamber,’’ Okecho says.
Israel Omagor,44, a farmer in Kachumbala, Bukedea district, who hosted the little animals on a trial exercise, says rodents and cats are the rabbit’s worst predators.
“A mere scratch with craws from a cat causes a rabbit to die. Similarly, a rabbit will fall ill and die when a rodent, mice or rat gnaws its limb,” he explains.
Pastor Julius Mukenya, one of the project board members, says the initiative tentatively began with 6,000 smallholder farmers across the country.
In 2019, a massive plan of constructing a modest rabbit house for each registered beneficiary across the country was started, using prior project funding.
By the time the COVID-19 lockdown was instituted, the majority of the beneficiaries’ rabbit houses had stalled at ring-beam level.
No more funding would be extended from the research entity until recently, when the project received sh3.9b.
“A priority activity the project leaders are executing is completing the selected beneficiaries’ rabbit houses.
“Formidable local construction firms in every district across the country, where the project is being hosted, have been screened, and many have already embarked on completing the stalled farmers’ rabbit houses,” Dr Masika says.
When construction of rabbit houses is completed, each recipient household shall be given 10 female and two male species.
Jacob Akabwai, the project chief trainer, says the 6,000 smallholder farmers across the country have been prepared and they are ready to undertake the project.
John Ikojot, the project legal officer, says they have ensured that activities of the project are in tandem with the necessary legal frame work.
“We have concluded the critical legal issue of signing a memorandum of understanding with relevant authorities of districts that host the beneficiaries across the country,” Ikojot says.
Okia’s profile
Born to Augustine Ebilo and Margaret Akiya Amutata in Kibale, Pallisa district 54 years ago, Okia completed Primary Seven at Matakire Primary School in Pallisa.
Although he had topped his class, obtaining aggregate 14 in Primary Leaving Examinations, his parents could not afford to send him to secondary school.
Much later, he joined Uganda People’s Defence Forces, where he served for two decades before seeking early retirement.
But for as long as he could remember, Okia’s heart yearned to preach the word of God from the time he was young; only his life to take a different direction, although the conviction of becoming a preacher got shelved deep in his heart.
When he retired from the forces, he started a Born-again church affiliated to Pentecostal Assembly Ministries.
After a brief stint in pastoral work, authorities of the Pentecostal Assembly church would consider it prudent to enrol him in a theological college in Nairobi, Kenya to get formal mentorship.
It was during this time that an opportunity of rabbit contract farming presented its self.
“The person who encouraged me was a guest lecturer and scientist from Australia,” Okia, who prefers not to identify the scientist, recalls.
It is after lectures when the two would interact.
“It was during these engagements that he wondered if I could mobilise smallholder farmers back home in Uganda, to do contract farming of breeding rabbits that hold medicinal properties, to which I reluctantly obliged,” he says.
The proposed rabbit project did not mean anything until a year later.
“What started as a strange nightmare has since become a reality as the researchers have since committed a substantive amount of money to facilitate starting of the rabbit enterprise on an extensive scale in Uganda,” Okia says.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Rabbits in a hutch. Although rabbits have adapted to local feeds (green matter), a farmer is obliged to observe hygiene.
