Strengthening support to livestock-keepers
Community Livelihood Empowerment Project
Vihiga is the most densely populated rural area in Kenya. With an average landholding of less than one acre, it is virtually impossible for people to produce enough food to feed their families - let alone any surplus to sell at market. With no way to sell products at market and gain an income, families struggle to afford basic household items, food, and veterinary care to keep any animals they do have healthy.
Goat keeping provides an answer to farmers' problems. Goats need much less land to live on, reproduce quickly and provide highly nutritious milk and manure to fertilise crops. This project is helping to increase farmers' incomes, food security and household nutrition by providing the training and initial livestock that the community need to develop goat keeping and breeding in the district.
How are communities benefiting?
Working with farmers' groups and women's groups, we are supporting communities to improve their understanding and practices for rearing goats and animal healthcare.
- Toggenburg (high milk yielding) does and bucks, together with training in how to breed them are providing a sustainable supply of breeding stock in the district.
- Community members are being trained in animal husbandry to become buck keepers - they then charge community members a small fee to breed their local goat with the Toggenburg buck to create hardy offspring that produce plenty of milk.
- We're training and equipping a network of Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) who offer a simple veterinary service to surrounding villages. People are boosting their incomes by training as a CAHW or using the CAHW's expertise to improve the health and production of their livestock.
- Communities are learning how to use goats' manure to increase soil fertility.
Who are we helping?
The project is providing goats, training and equipment to 17 buck keepers and 34 CAHWs. Livestock is the major asset in this rural area, so this project will benefit the entire community in 17 target villages, totalling 4,000 households (some 24,000 people).
Project partners
FARM-Africa is working together with Oxfam Novib and the Christian Partners Development Agency (CPDA).
Strengthening support to livestock-keepers
Community Livelihood Empowerment Project
In the poverty-stricken district of Vihiga, Western Kenya, communities are struggling to make a living. Therefore, the Community Livelihood Empowerment Project is helping farmers to make the best of their small landholdings by keeping and breeding dairy goats. The benefits of providing just a few goats extend a long way.
Johnson's story
Johnson and his family had one acre of land on which to keep animals and grow food. They owned one dairy cow, which took up most of their land so they were able to grow very few vegetables. As a member of his local farmers' group, Johnson was selected by his fellow members to be trained by FARM-Africa as a Toggenburg breeder. Following his training, he received four does and one buck to keep, as well as extensive training in how to look after them and rear offspring.
Since then, Johnson's goats have produced 16 offspring, which he has given to other members of the group. In addition, more than 300 community members have bred their local goats with the Toggenburg bucks. Johnson has learnt some valuable animal healthcare skills from his father, who has trained to be a Community Animal Health Worker. Together, they advise the community on how to keep the goats healthy.
One community member who has benefited is Rebecca. She previously owned just a few chickens and had to survive from selling their offspring and eggs. Her half-acre land was too small to keep a cow on. Then she heard about Johnson and his goat keeping. She bought a local goat, and cross-bred it with Johnson's buck.
Rebecca is grateful for the milk the goat provides to help feed her family. She now hopes to breed more goats, and then sell the surplus milk at market. Johnson will advise her how to get the best price. Many others in the community will then benefit from a better supply of the nutritious milk.
Best Practices
Farmers' Dairy Goat Production Handbook
Adobe PDF - 1.38mb
Working Papers
02. Goats: Unlocking their potential for Africa’s farmers
Adobe PDF - 559kb
Scaling-up Success - FARM-Africa's new strategy for development
Adobe PDF - 444kb
Community Animal Health Workers expand their knowledge
Last month, over 30 new Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) in western Kenya received the second phase of their training, aimed at expanding their knowledge of animal diseases and how to prevent and control them. The practising CAHWs also used this opportunity to share their first-hand experiences and the challenges they have come across in their work so far.
Community Livelihood Empowerment Project
On a recent visit to Vihiga, western Kenya, FARM-Africa’s Helen Bailey met various people who have been helped by this project. One such individual is 23 year old Valentine, who was chosen by his community to receive training as a Community Animal Health Worker. He and his fellow trainees are eagerly awaiting delivery of their veterinary kits.
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