FAO hails Mat North livestock production programme

THE Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO), an arm of the United Nations (UN) has praised the European Union funded livelihood and livestock production programme for playing a pivotal role in enhancing animal husbandry productivity in communal areas in Matabeleland North Province.

Speaking after touring a number of projects in Nkayi and Lupane districts, as part of his monitoring visit last week, FAO co-ordinator for southern Africa Dr Chimimba David Phiri said he was impressed by the commitment of the beneficiaries towards ensuring the sustainability and viability of the various projects implemented under the EU fund.

The four-year programme which is coming to an end this year was funded to the tune of $9,2 million and seeks to ensure an increased household food, income and nutrition security through commercialisation of an integrated and sustainable smallholder livestock sector in Zimbabwe.

The project is being coordinated by FAO and implemented by Linkages for the Economic Advancement of the Disadvantaged (Lead) in Lupane and by Help from Germany in Nkayi. The programme has seen the rehabilitation and construction of livestock related infrastructure such as boreholes, dip tanks, sale pens and feedlots, supply of bulls and bucks for genetic improvement, veterinary kits as well as training of some communal farmers on animal production and health for onward training.

“I have been impressed with the commitment of the beneficiaries of this project and their willingness to continue to ensure that it’s successful for them so that they use the livestock as a means of livelihoods. I’m confident that even when the project finishes these farmers will continue to do very well,” said Dr Phiri.

He said there was a need for communal farmers to consider taking livestock rearing as a business so as to realise meaningful returns from it.

“We have been talking to (livestock) farmers just like we say to other farmers that grow crops that farming should be a business. Livestock is money and I have seen that the training that we are providing these farmers is really benefitting them. They now know when to buy livestock, when to sell, to feed and when not to feed and I think that these are practical aspects that are extremely important,” said Dr Phiri.

He said the success of the project would make them consider sourcing other funds to consolidate it.

“We will continue to look for funds from the EU to ensure that the gains we have made here are consolidated even after saying that I’m confident that what we have achieved in this particular project, in these two particular districts in which we have covered all the wards is sustainable because the farmers themselves have formed committees and they are contributing with money or otherwise to the implementation of the project itself. So they own the project and I think they will continue. Of course as FAO we support the Government in resource mobilisation so that we could up-scale and outscale the success of the project,” said Dr Phiri.

Lead chief executive officer Mr Eliot Takaindisa said the project was aimed at ensuring that smallholder farmers improve their livelihood through the benefits derived from their livestock.

“We are trying to make smallholder farmers make a living out of livestock and that’s what we are trying to do because this is a livestock area and we want to make sure that they make a living from beef, goats and chickens, that’s why we came here and introduced the project in this area,” said Mr Takaindisa.

He, however, said much has to be done to improve livestock productivity and marketing.

“To some extent we are satisfied with the ground we have covered. Of course there are still some areas where we are having some challenges. This has to do with productivity and off take to the market. We are working towards changing the mindset of the farmers, that is what we are trying to do but slowly we are getting there and we are hoping that the value chain players also compliment what we are doing,” said Mr Takaindisa.

He said plans were underway to implement the project in other areas so as to enhance the country’s livestock sector.

“There are other projects that we will be launching in other areas but not in this part of the country because we are talking of smallholder farmers and they are in different provinces. We introduced this one in Lupane and Nkayi and we are hoping that the next one will not be in these areas but in other provinces where beef is a source of livelihoods.

“In terms of livestock production as a country, I think we are moving in the rightful direction taking into considering that 85 percent of the livestock are owned by small holder farmers so what we are doing now is changing the mindset of the small holder farmers so that they can take a bigger step and make a bigger contribution within the market,” said Mr Takandiisa.

Ward 12 councillor and Lupane’s Kusile Rural District Council vicechairperson Mrs Janeth Mpofu said the livelihood and livestock production programme has played a big part in preventing cattle deaths due to a number of diseases in his area of jurisdiction and the entire district.

“This programme has assisted us a lot in terms livestock production and health management because we used to experience a lot of deaths mainly due to black leg but since the introduction of the deaths have decreased as a number of people were trained as para-veterinary officers as well as distribution of vet-kits.

“We also received pure genetic bulls and bucks which will go a long way in improving our breed because one doesn’t fetch much if they sell their animals at the moment because the quality of our breeds are rather poor. The programme is also playing a big part in terms of link the farmers to a viable market,” said Clr Mpofu.