Little known animal with a promising future

It could start as a dictionary game. If asked what a grasscutter is, what would be the answer? An instrument to cut the grass? Something to do with gardening?

Well, no, it has nothing to do with either of those. The grasscutter, Thryonomys swinderinus if you’re a scientist, is in fact a wild rodent. It can be “found in grasslands and wooded savannah throughout the humid and sub-humid areas south of the Sahara. It can also be found in any area where there is dense grass, especially reedy grass, as this is its favourite source of food. In Ghana it has also penetrated the high forest where there is intensive maize, cassava, sugar cane, young cocoa, coconut, oil-palm, pineapple and egg-plant cultivation” .

So what? you might say.

Well, the grasscutter is a very interesting little animal. It has been included by the National Research Council (USA) in its list of “Micro-livestock: Little-Known Small Animals with a Promising Future”.

Grasscutters are easy to keep and a source of food for many.

Why?

First of all, because of the quality of its meat; it is considered a delicacy by rich and poor alike. In a survey on consumer preference for different types of bushmeat species it came out as number one. Ghanaians abroad are even supplied with grasscutter meat from home and smoked grasscutter is exported to Europe and the United States. In Ghana, where 80% of the estimated annual national meat requirement of 200,000 tonnes is imported, this gives this little rodent a very special value. Furthermore, grasscutter meat transcends religious prohibitions and, as mentioned in the study of E. Asibey and P. Addo referenced above, Muslims, who do not consume rabbit or guinea pig do, however, eat grasscutter.

Second, because the grasscutter is available throughout Ghana.

Third, because it can be domesticated. As such, and as a preferred source of animal protein crucially missing in Ghana, it can provide food security, job opportunities and be a reliable source of income for many, including the poorest.

Fourth, apart from its excellent taste, its meat is nutritionally superior because of its higher protein-to-fat ratio and higher mineral content.

Fifth, the grasscutter is cheap to breed as it feeds on grass substances with no need for nutritional additives. It can be kept in cheap cages made of wood and wire netting. It can be raised in backyards and on flat roof tops by the landless. Its body wastes are small, barely odorous and can easily be disposed of.

Cages for grasscutters are simple to make from scrap materials.

Sixth, it is a very strong animal that doesn’t get sick easily (compared to the rabbit) if bred and handled properly.

Seventh, it does not have to be kept long; usually it can be sold for breeding as young as three months old.

Eighth, raising grasscutters is a lucrative business, as three-month-old breeding stock are sold for between 250,000 and 350,000 cedis (US$28 to US$39), and an animal of about 4kg is sold for its meat at around 150,000 cedis (US$17). The female gives birth on average to four youngsters at a time.

Ninth, everyone can become a grasscutter farmer: children, women, elderly people. Women do not have to depend on men for their income. Participants of the recent African Regional Workshop in Ghana (see p.1) were told the tale of a young orphan who was able to pay his own school fees by raising grasscutters outside school hours.

All of the above and more was explained to the ECLOF visitors during a visit to the Ablekuma Grasscutter Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd, located in Accra. Heifer Project International (HPI), one of ECLOF’s ecumenical partners attending the workshop, have assisted the society in its work.

Roland Kanlisi, programmes officer for HPI, acted as the tour guide and explained that 40% of the society's members, which started with some 25 people, are women. By September 2005, when the ECLOF visit took place, the membership exceeded 120 people.

The workshop visitors were greeted warmly by the society's members. The tour included a buffet of grasscutter delicacies to allow the visitors to taste the meat of the popular little beast. The verdict: "Delicious indeed!".

With all these advantages, why is everyone not getting involved in grasscutter farming?

Well, first of all because of the unavailability of breeding stock. Some 90% of grasscutter farmers currently have to depend on wild stock for their breeding animals. The demand for captive-bred breeding stock is therefore great. Second, because of the initial high cost of buying breeding stock; the value of one grasscutter is equivalent to that of two goats, which represents some 350,000 Cedis (US$30) depending on weight. It is therefore very difficult for the poor to find the capital to get started. Third, because although the grasscutter is easy to house, its handling needs skills which require training. This training is not in books, and only available in a few places; the Ablekuma Grasscutter Farmers Cooperative Society is one of these.

The Ablekuma grasscutter farmers have in fact provided an answer to all of the above issues. The majority of the farmers started small, and it was not easy. For example, Taye Ocansey began with just six wild grasscutters but, with assistance in the form of training and a small loan for a cage from Heifer Project International, today he can boast a stock in excess of 350 animals. Now, people from all over the country come to buy breeding stock from the society and demand is much higher than supply. With assistance from Heifer, the society opened a training centre and trainees come from all over Ghana and abroad to be taught how to breed grasscutters. The training lasts from three to five days. Training of trainers is also provided. Brilliant Hushie, who introduced us to the society, is an example of one the farmers who doubles up as a master trainer for the group. The fees charged for training go back to the society.

Thanks to the income raised from the farm and from the training, the chairman, Teye Ocansey, who is also a trainer, bought a truck that allows him to fetch the grass needed to feed the animals. He also bought a shop for his wife, which is today the community’s general store. And the co-operative continues to grow.

 

Teye Ocansey and his newly acquired van.