Algae, Beef And Fish: What Zimbabwe Can Learn From A Queensland ‘Liquid Gold’ Trial
On a dry August afternoon outside Mvuma, a group of cattle nose around a shrinking dam, the water low and green at the edges. The veld is brittle, protein-poor. Every day they walk further for less grass — and every day, their owners watch the scale creep backwards.
In Central Queensland, Australia, producers face a similar winter “protein gap”. Yet a recent trial there suggests an unlikely partner might help beef cattle hold their condition through the lean months: microscopic algae grown in shallow ponds, turned into a liquid supplement, and delivered through ordinary water troughs.
The question for Zimbabwe isn’t just whether algae can help our cattle, too. It’s bigger: can we design integrated systems where fish ponds grow algae, algae feed cattle, and the whole cycle boosts both economics and productivity?
What Did The Queensland Algae Trial Actually Show?
In Central Queensland, technology developer Genesis is farming chlorella microalgae in terrestrial ponds, using a system similar to aquaculture. The company partnered with McDonald’s beef supply chain manager FMG Global, the University of Central Queensland, and Mountain View Grazing Co to test a chlorella-based supplement called AlgaeFeed on grazing cattle.
The trial, run at Mountain View Grazing near Springsure, compared two mobs of about 100 cattle each over winter:
- Control group: no algae supplement.
- Treatment group: received AlgaeFeed via water troughs.
Using Optiweigh paddock weighing systems, co-owner David O’Connor recorded that:
- The non-supplemented cattle lost on average 0.7 kg per head per day.
- The AlgaeFeed group gained around 0.1 kg per head per day.
That’s a performance difference of 0.8 kg per head per day. Across three months, the control mob lost an average 12.51 kg, while the supplemented mob maintained bodyweight and improved condition.
Genesis describes AlgaeFeed as an Australian-produced, nutrient-rich natural growth bio-stimulant, high in protein (about 50 percent), omega 3, 6 and 9, iron, vitamin B12, and magnesium. It’s delivered as a liquid through water systems, making it suitable for both feedlots and paddock-based cattle.
Importantly, this algae product is not the same as the asparagopsis seaweed supplements developed specifically to slash methane. However, Genesis cites university work suggesting AlgaeFeed reduced in-vitro enteric methane emissions by about 25 percent, thanks in part to faster weight gain and earlier slaughter. [SOURCE REQUIRED: published methane study]
Genesis founder Colin McGregor called the 0.8 kg per day performance gap an “incredible result”. FMG sustainability manager Sebastian Martin highlighted how straightforward it was to integrate the supplement into existing water infrastructure, a critical point for busy grazing systems where simplicity matters.
Mountain View Grazing’s Adele O’Connor, who has nearly three decades’ experience in beef, was blunt about the impact:
“To us, this supplement is ‘liquid gold’. Not only did we start seeing positive changes, but so did our neighbours, which sparked adoption across the local farming community.”
Neighbouring producer Rob Stewart, running 2,000–3,000 head across several properties, put about 700–800 cattle on the supplement and reported better overall condition and more efficient feed use.
How Could Algae Fit Zimbabwe’s Beef And Fish Systems?
Zimbabwe doesn’t have an industrial chlorella industry like Genesis — at least, not yet. But we do have something Australia’s beef heartlands are only now rediscovering: a long tradition of integrating crops, livestock, and fish.
From the small fish ponds in Honde Valley and Gokwe to larger dams in Matabeleland stocked with tilapia, our farmers already understand water as more than just a drink for cattle. It’s a production unit.
The Queensland trial suggests a new layer in that picture: algae as a high-value output from the same water that supports fish, then fed back into beef production.
In practical terms, a Zimbabwean “copy and adapt” model might look like this:
- Fish ponds or small dams are managed not only for tilapia or catfish, but also to cultivate edible microalgae.
- Algae biomass is harvested and processed into a stable form (fresh slurry, dried cake, or liquid extract).
- Cattle receive algae-based supplements through water troughs or lick blocks during the dry season, helping maintain weight and condition.
- Waste from fish (manure, uneaten feed) fertilises pond algae, closing nutrient loops.
FFA Explainer:
Integrated aquaculture–livestock systems link fish ponds with animals and crops. Fish waste fertilises water, boosting algae and plankton. Algae and pond mud can then feed crops or livestock. Done carefully, this reduces bought-in fertiliser and feed, and spreads income across fish, meat, and sometimes vegetables.
Step One: Can We Grow The Right Algae In Our Ponds?
Genesis grows chlorella in controlled terrestrial ponds, similar to aquaculture facilities. For Zimbabwe, the first technical question is: can comparable species be grown safely and consistently in local ponds?
We’ll need answers from science, not guesswork:
- Species selection: Identify microalgae strains that thrive in Zimbabwe’s climates, are safe for animals, and have strong protein and micronutrient profiles. [SOURCE REQUIRED: local R&D on microalgae strains]
- Production systems: Decide whether to adapt existing fish ponds, build dedicated shallow raceways, or use tanks near feedlots.
- Contamination risks: Guard against harmful algal blooms (toxin producers) by controlling nutrients, light, and species mix.
- Processing: Develop low-cost ways to harvest and stabilise algae without expensive drying equipment.
Institutions like the University of Zimbabwe, Chinhoyi University of Technology, and Henderson Research Station are well-placed to lead pilot work, similar to the Genesis–CQU partnership.
Step Two: Test Algae Supplements In Local Beef Herds
The Queensland trial targeted a specific pain point: winter protein gaps in grazing systems. Zimbabwean producers face their own version of this challenge every dry season, particularly in Matabeleland North and South, parts of Midlands, and Masvingo.
To adapt the model, we’d need structured trials that mirror what Mountain View Grazing did:
- Control vs treatment groups of similar cattle (age, breed, condition) in the same veld conditions.
- Clear dosing of algae supplement through water (or possibly through licks or feed).
- Regular weighing – ideally using portable or in-field systems – to track daily gains or losses.
- Condition scoring and health monitoring (parasites, coat condition, disease).
We’d be asking the same questions the Queensland team did:
- Do supplemented cattle maintain or gain weight while unsupplemented animals lose?
- Are there visible improvements in coat, fertility, or immune resilience?
- Does any methane-reduction effect hold in our breeds and grazing conditions? [SOURCE REQUIRED: local methane measurement capacity]
Here, commercial partners — abattoirs, feedlots, or even fast food supply chains active in Zimbabwe — could play a role similar to McDonald’s partner FMG Global, co-funding trials that might one day feed into sustainability reporting.
Where Co-Growing Fish And Beef Gets Interesting
The Queensland story is about algae as a supplement grown in land-based ponds. Zimbabwe can take that a step further by deliberately co-growing fish, algae, and beef in linked systems.
Imagine a 50-hectare beef farm in Mashonaland West with:
- Two to three small dams or ponds stocked with tilapia.
- Gravity-fed water troughs downhill supplying beef paddocks.
- Carefully managed algae growth in ponds — not random scum, but intentional, monitored cultivation.
- Simple screening or pumping to harvest a portion of algae regularly.
- A rudimentary processing unit — perhaps youth-run — that turns algae into a liquid or semi-dried supplement.
In such a system:
- Fish provide meat and cash flow, especially for women and youth who often manage aquaculture.
- Algae becomes a high-protein, micronutrient-rich supplement for cattle in the dry season.
- Cattle, in turn, provide manure that can fertilise fodder plots or be composted for pond-adjacent gardens.
This aligns closely with AU Agenda 2063’s vision of integrated, climate-smart rural economies and Zimbabwe’s NDS1 focus on climate-smart livestock systems.
Economics: Does ‘Liquid Gold’ Shine In Zimbabwean Numbers?
In Queensland, Adele O’Connor’s “liquid gold” comment speaks to economics, not romance. If algae stops cattle losing 0.7 kg a day over a tough season — or even just halves the loss — the payback in saleable beef can be substantial.
For a Zimbabwean producer, the calculation might look like this (illustrative):
- Without supplement, steers lose 10–15 kg over the dry season, reaching market late and at lower grades. [SOURCE REQUIRED: local dry-season weight loss ranges]
- With algae supplementation, they maintain weight or gain slightly, hitting target condition earlier.
- Earlier sale means less time at risk of drought, disease, or market downturns.
- Each extra kilogram sold — and each month of feed saved — pushes the system towards profit.
The key is keeping algae production costs low enough that the value of saved weight exceeds the expense of growing, harvesting, and applying the supplement. Integrating with existing fish ponds and using local labour and youth co-operatives can help.
Practical Hurdles We Can’t Ignore
The Queensland trial results are promising, but Zimbabwe can’t simply copy-paste. We’ll need to navigate:
- Technical capacity: Growing microalgae at scale and quality needs basic lab support, training, and extension.
- Regulation: Clear standards for using algae as a livestock feed, including safety checks.
- Financing: Capital for ponds, harvesting gear, and simple processing units.
- Knowledge gaps: Limited local data on which algae species perform best in our systems.
- Climate risks: Managing ponds under heatwaves, floods, and variable rainfall.
Policymakers and development partners can help de-risk early pilots by:
- Supporting R&D through grants and public–private partnerships.
- Including algae–livestock integration in climate-smart agriculture programmes.
- Backing youth-led algae and fish enterprises through incubation funds.
From Queensland Ponds To Zimbabwean Dams
On a farm near Springsure, Queensland, Brahman cattle are already drinking their algae supplement from ordinary troughs, turning microscopic green cells into extra grams of beef each day.
On a resettlement farm near Chiredzi, a group of young farmers stands by a fish pond in late September, watching the water sink and the fish rise to the surface for feed. Around them, the veld is thinning. They know that in two months their cattle will start to show ribs.
The lesson from Queensland is not that algae alone will save their season. It’s that water bodies — fish ponds, weirs, dams — can do more than just hold fish and quench thirst. With some science, organisation, and investment, they can grow an extra layer of food: a “liquid gold” that helps beef herds ride out the hard months and leaves more weight on the hoof.
Whether Zimbabwe chooses to seize that opportunity will depend on how quickly our researchers, policymakers, beef producers, and fish farmers are willing to experiment together — pond by pond, herd by herd, season by season.
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