By Happy Mulolani
LUSITU is a rural outpost located 35 kilometres west of the Chirundu district of the Southern province of Zambia. It is in Zambia Ecological Zone, right in the valley where temperatures are extremely high. By virtue of its location, access to reliable water sources for livestock farmers has been one of the detrimental factors in the livestock value chain.
The Chairperson for the Manzoomwa Farming As A Business School (FaaBS), Mr Alick Malunga, stated that farmers lacked access to reliable water sources as they drew water from the seasonal Lusitu stream, which unfortunately quickly dries up after the rain season. He also mentioned that farmers did not have adequate land to rear their goats, nor did they have modern goat housing structures.
Mr Malunga, who is also a livestock farmer, owns 35 goats. He attests to unreliable access to water supply due to dryness of the area and lack of improved goats. "We were also rearing local goat breeds which have low market value," Mr Malunga disclosed. The two challenges contributed to the low pricing of goats on the market, which did not yield a return on their efforts.
The Enhanced Smallholder Agribusiness Promotion Programme (E-SAPP) seized the farmers' challenges. It turned them into an opportunity by empowering the smallholder farmers in organised groups, using the programme's approach – Farming As A Business Schools. This approach enabled smallholder farmers to undergo livestock training and better methods of rearing goats for a season. Through four FaaBS, 417 smallholder farmers were trained in the livestock value chain. After which, they were assessed and qualified for financing under the programme's Matching Grant Facility (MGF) of K1,400,000.
Of the approved funds, K615,000 was released towards the group's first contribution, which went towards one solar panel, a borehole, two goat housing units, a dip tank and the construction of a manager's house. Once the last batch of money is released, the group envisions working towards constructing a classroom and marketing slab.
Mr Malunga disclosed that the support rendered to the farmers has enabled the four FaaBS put up a goat breeding centre with a production capacity of 200 goats for the two goat housing units already erected. He says it is exciting that the group, through FaaBS, learnt the importance of accessing improved goat breeds and management, resulting in improved quality of goats and higher market value. "Previously, a local goat sold at K150, but with improved breeds, the market price will increase to about K400, which is currently the range of prevailing market price and is a good return on farmers' efforts," Mr Malunga said.
He is glad that with the water challenge resolved, the breeding centre can integrate other activities, such as gardening, which require a constant water supply. "The area is so dry that at the first attempt, we hit two dry boreholes until a third borehole where we found water at a depth of 90metres," Mr Malunga sighed with relief.
Encouragingly, the initiative to develop a goat breeding centre has stimulated interest among the traditional leadership, who have immediately offered some tracts of land to set up the breeding centre."Three Village Headmen have provided land for the goat breeding centre. Village Headman Mungomba, Village Headman Siamwanjwa and Senior Headman Kwelele, the Chief's representative, collectively have offered 54 hectares to set up the goat breeding centre," Mr Malunga revealed. He further explained that they donated the land through a letter of endorsement, which facilitated legalising the land and submitting plans for the proposed structure.
Speaking on behalf of the traditional leadership, Village Headman Mungomba expressed happiness that for a long time, farmers in the area lacked the essential facilities to boost their goat production capacities which affected their households' food security and incomes.
Headman Mungomba reiterated that farmers need to take advantage of the breeding centre as they work towards expanding the facility, given the ever-increasing demand for goats.
E-SAPP Livestock Specialist Lemmy Munsanje pointed out that the 54hectares of land allocated to the farmers by the traditional leadership was a good gesture as it was aimed at empowering the local farmers. However, consideration should be made to increase more land to the breeding centre, as once it's fully functional, the land may get smaller. Suffice to state that increasing land for such a productive venture will positively impact the livelihoods in the area.
Senior Livestock Production Officer for Lusaka province, Bwalya Tembo, pointed out that farmers needed to consider the climatic changes and avoid the indiscriminate cutting of trees, as this can affect their environment. Ms Tembo said farmers needed to engage in tree planting wherever deforestation takes place to mitigate climate change's effects.
E-SAPP Nutrition Specialist Nalukui Sakala encouraged farmers to practise gardening within the confines of the breeding centre to uplift their nutrition status. She also called for the active participation of women and youth in the livestock value chain, thereby increasing their nutrition status and incomes.
In essence, the programme's FaaBS approach has worked progressively in resolving some smallholder farmers' bottlenecks in Lusitu, such as access to water, improved breeds and their management. Eventually, this improves the goats' quality, enabling them to bargain for a higher price and an organised market.
An important lesson learnt is that farmers must be equipped with the right skills and support. Once this is done, the process of ownership and sustainability is guaranteed; only then will food security and incomes be enhanced.
The author is a Principal Agricultural information Officer at National Agriculture Information Services(NAIS) in Zambia.
