A Tanzanian checks Juncao grass at a farm in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 5 June 2025 (XINHUA)

As the morning sun casts a golden glow over the rolling hills of Mpwapwa in mainland Tanzania, the landscape comes alive with the rhythmic crunch of healthy cattle grazing on lush, succulent green Juncao grass. 

Watching over his dairy cattle, Yusuf Mashaka, a local dairy farmer, wears an expression as bright as the morning sky. He is upbeat about his animals feeding on the protein-rich grass that has transformed his family’s livelihood. 

“My animals used to graze on low-quality wild grasses and produced only drops of milk after walking for miles into the bush. Now they feed on green gold and give me litres of milk,” Mashaka told ChinAfrica. 

He explained that the hills of Mpwapwa are historically significant as the birthplace of the dual-purpose Mpwapwa cattle breed, which was developed for improved milk and beef production in semi-arid environments. However, the region has long suffered from severe seasonal feed shortages, land degradation and changing rainfall patterns. 

Today, that narrative is being rewritten, thanks to the introduction of climate-resilient, nutrient-rich Juncao technology. Agribusiness in Mpwapwa is experiencing a quiet revolution. 

“After cultivating Juncao on my 10 acres (4.05 hectares) of farmland, my dairy animals can now produce between 80 and 140 litres of milk every day, nearly double the amount produced using conventional feeding systems,” Mashaka said. 

Transformative technology  

Often referred to as “Chinese magic grass,” Juncao technology has become a game-changer for smallholder dairy farmers across mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. Developed to address feed shortages, low livestock productivity and climate vulnerability, this high-yield, nutrient-rich perennial forage grass offers multiple benefits for sustainable agriculture. 

Invented by renowned Chinese scientist Lin Zhanxi of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in the 1980s, Juncao technology demonstrates how innovative, environmentally friendly solutions can support agricultural productivity, ecological conservation and rural development. 

In 2019, Juncao technology was introduced to Tanzania through pilot mushroom cultivation projects led by Tanzanian ecologist Elly Ligate, who helped establish a Juncao nursery at the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Morogoro. This laid the foundation for the technology’s expansion across mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. 

“Now more than 2,000 Tanzanians cultivate Juncao grass for livestock feed, while about 500 farmers use it as a substrate for mushroom cultivation,” Ligate, a lecturer at SUA, said recently. 

“Juncao technology supports local livestock farmers’ income generation, ecological restoration and sustainable livestock feeding,” he noted. 

Island expansion 

The Chinese Juncao grass initiative is now expanding beyond mainland Tanzania to Zanzibar’s main islands. It targets Unguja, which serves as the launchpad for the initial phase, and Pemba, where the nutrient-rich fodder is replacing low-quality local grasses such as Ukoka and Pemba grass to support smallholder farmers. 

In rural areas of Unguja Island, where tropical heat quickly dries local pastures, feeding dairy cows has long been a costly challenge. The introduction of Juncao is now easing concerns among dairy farmers such as Seif Mwinyi. 

“For years, our native Ukoka grass offered little nutritional value, forcing us to spend our limited profits on expensive commercial feed and bran imported from the mainland,” Mwinyi said. Today, Mwinyi’s farmland in the western district looks remarkably different, with vibrant plots of Juncao grass swaying in the island breeze, marking a quiet agricultural transformation on Unguja Island. 

“Juncao grass has an impressive crude protein content of 13 to 18.6 percent, far exceeding standard Napier grass (10.8 percent) and maize leaves (8 percent). It prevents the severe malnutrition and emaciation commonly seen during lean periods,” he said. 

Beyond individual farms, Juncao is creating a new agribusiness value chain. A growing network of commercial forage entrepreneurs on Pemba Island is cultivating the grass to supply dairy farmers. 

For Pemba grower Mariam Zuwena, the greatest advantage of hybrid perennial Juncao grass is its resilience compared with traditional fodder crops. Its deep and robust root system helps retain moisture in the island’s sandy-loam soils. 

“Before Juncao, we were at the mercy of the weather,” Zuwena said while chopping the thick, succulent stalks into a motorised shredder. “Now, I have a permanent source of feed to supply to dairy farmers right outside my door.” 

She said the Chinese magic grass is a high-yield agricultural opportunity that, under proper management, can produce between 150 and 180 tonnes of quality forage per acre (0.4 hectare) annually. 

According to local farmers, a single acre of Juncao can support roughly 20 dairy cows. The grass can remain productive for up to 25 years before requiring replanting, providing decades of low-input agricultural security. 

In Tanzania, experts from SUA have collaborated with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries to test Juncao production with farmers in more than 10 areas, including Kilindi, Handeni and Bumbuli. 

“This broadens the dissemination of research results, which we believe provides an answer to challenges in the livestock sector. The pasture challenge is not only a Tanzanian issue, but one affecting East Africa and Africa as a whole,” Ligate said. 

Livestock and Fisheries Minister Abdallah Ulega said the Juncao fodder production technology provides an effective solution to livestock feed shortages and can help reduce conflicts between farmers and pastoralists. 

Speaking during the launch of the Tutunzane Mvomero Programme, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan urged farmers and pastoralists to embrace climate-resilient practices and environmental conservation by adopting Chinese Juncao technology as part of efforts to reduce resource-based conflicts.