Small farmer livestock and poultry development

PES covers the period 3/80-2/83 and is based on document review, site visits, and interviews with project personnel and farmers. Although IRZ has made major progress in adaptive livestock research at three research stations, constraints to further development exist. These include, inter alia, poor management of dairy herds; poor feeding facilities causing low reproduction and high mortality rates; and a research staff inadequate in size and training. In the second component, short-term livestock production training has been provided to 150 farmers, 48 PCV"s, and 22 college students, among others, and 30 IRZ technicians have received science training at Bambui; training manuals have been developed for these courses. Also, 3 of 7 targeted U.S. trainees have begun their studies. Mid-term targets in the livestock distribution component have not been met (about 87,000 of 108,000) due in part to unrealistic goals; a breakdown in the functioning of the Livestock Distribution Committee; low herd reproduction rates; delays in animal shipments; animal loss in acclimatization; and an outbreak of African Swine Fever. Poultry facilities are adequate, but will require great effort to keep operational. The milk marketing system targeted in the fourth component has not been established. Malfunctioning of processing equipment at two research stations prevented the marketing of pasteurized milk; only raw, morning, milk is sold and in a haphazard way with much spoilage. A dairy cooperative is being established at Bamenda to improve this situation. General recommendations are that: (1) stress be placed on improving management of the research herds - increasing them to a size adequate to conduct research - and assuring qualified IRZ managers for this purpose; (2) IRZ and HPI fulfill respective conditions precedent as to providing fully operational milk processing equipment and concluding a formal agreement among HPI, IRZ, and the Ministry of Livestock; and (3) an extension program be developed.