Success Story of Woman participant of Dairy farm in South Regional State, Kambeta Tembero zone, Kedida Gamela Woreda /LFSDP/
In 2020, W/ro Amarech Woldehawariyat was one of the 10 smallholder dairy farmers who established Naws Boca Dairy Common Interest Group (CIG) in Kedida Gamela Woreda Shedero Kebele near Durame town. Amarech has 8 family members who lived by the income generated from one indigenous dairy cow.
According to Amarech, before intervention, the production of a local cow is one litter per day, which is insufficient to support her family. The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) has been implementing the World Bank funded Livestock and Fishery Sector Development Project (LFSDP) in Ethiopian to support the transformation of the livestock sector in the country to better contribute to household income, food security and to the national economy at large. As part of its activity, LFSDP supports subsistence farmers and unemployed youth organized in common interest groups (CIGs) to help improve their income through enhancing the production and productivity of the selected four livestock commodity value chains (dairy, poultry, red meat and fishery). The project’s support to CIGs has been through the provision of critical equipment, input, infrastructure, and capacity building that enables them to increase their production, productivity and income.
Accordingly, LFSDP supported Boca Dairy CIG members by providing materials for modern dairy house construction, AI services, modern dairy equipment, and technical support in improving husbandry practices in the last two years of establishment. The construction of a new, modern dairy barn provided extra space for the members to increase the number of cows and milk productivity. It also prevented livestock from experiencing environmental stress and enabled better waste management and feeding practices.
Among the CIG members, Amarech has crossed her local cow and got 3 productive Holstein Frisians and Jersey cross bred cows. According to Amarech, LFSDP has intervened during a critical period that challenged her existence and improved her livelihood by enabling her to get more than 3 cross bred cattle. Currently, she is getting an average of 14 liters per day per cross bred lactating cows. Tus, she increased her daily income and improved family nutritional diet.
Moreover, all members of the CIG and Amarech has been practicing improved forage production and utilization by growing and expanding improved forage on backyard that increases the productivity of the animals. Consequently, the productivity increment triggered as a result of LFSDP intervention through supporting cross breeding, proper feeding and appropriate husbandry practice.
She has appreciated what LFSDP’s material and technical support has contributed to changing her and her family livelihood. She now owns three lactating dairy cows at her own farm in addition to the initial local one, selling more than 30 liters of milk to the Durame town for 30 birr per liter so that she is getting 900 birr per day after fully covering and fulfilling the requirement of her family milk consumption. Amarech says that members like her gained better access to concentrate feed, dairy equipment, market access to produced dairy products and received training.