At Rabbit Crew Kenya we keep our ears and eyes open to all we can learn about the whys, whats, and the like of the rabbit. The rabbit has economic value, but exploited with hesitation and fear, on a very tiny scale nationwide. We have observed quick entry and exit behaviours by many business producers over the years of our work. What does a typical rabbit farmer contend with?
First, a new farmer will ask the question of the market. Most farmers in Kenya in other agribusiness ventures are used to plugging into structured value chains with established actors. The rabbit value chain actors are not popular, and the new farmer will often attempt to vertically integrate their efforts from farm to table of the core product: rabbit meat. Other products traded include breeders, skins, rabbit urine, and rabbit droppings. The disadvantage of vertical integration in the rabbit value chain is inadequate resources as it is an expensive process to set up infrastructure across the value chains. For ecample, creating a retail outlet for your farm’s produce that does not match your production capacity is the resource mismatch problem aforementioned. The gains, however, are to be desired for the producer who can achieve this. The key is ensuring that you understand your rabbit work to be an agribusiness, and seeing upto what extent you can allocate resources in the value chain levels in which you wish to participate. There are no rules, no structure, and no restrictions.
Second, then the farmer starts production of the rabbits, aka, rabbit farming. You can start small here to test the waters. Small is relative and varies from person to another. Here, the beginning farmer will almost inevitably experience pathological rabbit diseases, diseases related to poor housing, mortality that the farmer cannot explain, and when they eventually start selling the rabbit or their products and services, the inability to reinvest money back in a professional manner into their rabbit business to sustain this going concern. And only just pay themselves by a portion of the profit not from the gross revenue.
The solutions suggested to the two foundational issues above acts on ensuring you can do two things: first is ability to market your rabbit produce strategically via avenues that any agribusiness would make use of. On the second issue, a proper farm-based, hands-on training, and one where the training shares specific local solutions that work in your locality is essential, in a reputable rabbit farm such as yours truly here.
Granted, the strategic farmer who tackles these two issues proactively has the framework ready for an adventure of rabbit farming. Think of your rabbit farm as a small enterprise, and treat it as one. Would you like to start a rabbit butchery? A rabbit famr? Where do you wish to participate in the rabbit value chain?
