a) Historical Background
Lanet Research Centre was started in April 1969 as a Beef Industry Development Project jointly financed and run by UNDP/FAO and the Government of the Republic of Kenya. The major objective of the project then was to look into the prospects of increasing beef production in Kenya by inducing stratification in the beef industry. Thus, breeding and rearing of beef cattle would be done in the marginal areas of the country while growing and finishing would be done in the medium and high potential areas.

The first commercial feedlot trials whose results were very encouraging were carried out at the Centre. Boran, the common breed of beef cattle found in Kenya could be successfully finished using maize silage, maize grain and other agro-industrial based by-products, notably molasses. However, due to prohibitive cost of maize production and its role as human food among other related factors, the project could not be sustained.

The feedlot project was therefore discontinued in 1976 and the name of the then Kenya Beef Industry Development Project was changed to Beef Research Station, Lanet. Before the end of the project, some efforts were already in place to develop alternative forages other than maize suited to dry highland conditions to be used in feedlots. Sorghum and Millets Development Project initiated a search for relevant forage crop. Introduction of cold tolerant sorghum from high altitude areas of Uganda and Ethiopia produced consistently high yields that were comparable to, or better than, maize. Their introduction formed the basis of the current research work on Cold Tolerant Sorghum and Millets for feeding of livestock particularly in the feedlots.

b)    Centre Vision
To be a lead centre that develops and disseminates adaptable livestock and crop technologies that improves the livelihood of stakeholders.

c)    Centre Mission
To contribute in all aspects of livestock and crop production technologies and knowledge to improve livelihoods through increased productivity and value addition on sustainable basis.

d)    Centre Mandate
The mandate of the Centre mandate is Research and Development (R&D) for beef and dry highland sorghum. It has an adaptive mandate for the greater Counties of Bomet, Bureti, Kericho and Nakuru. This mandate is executed through six research programmes including Beef, Sorghum & Millet, Pasture & Fodder, Smallholder Dairy, Socioeconomics and Agricultural Technology and Information Response Initiative (ATIRI)

The Centre has five major technical sections, namely: Livestock, Pasture and Fodder, Sorghum & Millets, Agricultural product value addition, Socioeconomics and Biometrics and Agricultural Technology and Information Response Initiative (ATIRI) that are supported by another five service sections that include Human Resource Development and Administration, Accounts, Farm Management, Agricultural Research Investment Services (ARIS) and Nutrition Laboratory. What follows therefore are the achievements in 2009 contributed to the Institute by KARI Lanet Research Centre.

e)    Centre’s Geographical and Physical Location
The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute’s Lanet Research Centre is on latitude 0° 18¢ and longitude 36°09¢E. It is situated 1920 metres above sea level and located at Lanet Location, Bahati Division of Nakuru County. It is about 16 km South East of Nakuru Municipality and occupies 1,418 hectares of land of which 20% is in ecological zone three and 80% in ecological zone four. The rainfall pattern in Lanet is bimodal with an annual mean of 800mm and a relative humidity of 83%. The mean minimum and maximum temperatures are 10°C and 26°C respectively.