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Role of support services in enhancing competitiveness of smallholder livestock farmers
Mc Loyd Banda
Department of Agricultural Research Services, Malawi
Conference on Policies for Competitive Smallholder Livestock Production
Gaborone, Botswana, 4-6 March 2015
Outline
• Introduction• Supporting services and their roles
• Lead farmer concept• Biogas technology• Manure management
• Conclusion
Introduction Characteristics of smallholder farming: • Maize based mixed farming system• Small livestock numbers per household • Low production levels
Small-holder
80%
Com-mercial
20%
Intro’’ continue Smallholder livestock farmers in southern Africa are challenged by a number of factors including:
• lack of access to appropriate information on new technologies, • complexity or high labour demanding technologies, • lack of organized markets that often results in an unscrupulous market system.
Support services to improve competitiveness of smallholder livestock farmers:
1. Lead farmer concept
2. Biogas technology and manure management
Lead farmer concept
• The lead farmer concept is being promoted in Malawi as a method to enhance adoption of technologies.
• It also shows potential to achieve organized market channels in farmer associations.
Roles of lead farmers• Village extension agents• Promotion of agric. Technologies• Role models in modern farming approaches
Selection criteria of lead farmer
• The characteristics of a Lead Farmer:• Willing to share the information with others;• Able to lead others;• Early adopter of technology;• A communicator with good facilitation skills;• Should be honest, trustworthy and humble;• Be development conscious;• Be tolerant;• Should originate from the village and socially accepted by the community;• Be able to sacrifice for others;• Be cooperative and approachable
Lead farmer capacity building
Some of the useful trainings to capacitate livestock lead farmer
1. Livestock management practices including housing, feeding, breeding, diseases and pest control.
2. Capacity building to paravets
3. Fodder establishment and management
4. Feed preservation/ storage and formulation
5. Marketing skills include the business plans, market search etc.
Crop-livestock integrated project
Renewable energy
Livestock enterpriseCrop enterpriseLead farmer
concept
Collective marketing thru lead farmer concept
Collective marketing through lead farmers• CLIP lead farmers & follower
farmers in an EPA have formed an association
• To facilitate collective marketing at areal level – bargaining power
• Organized market search (e.g. use of community radio)
5 lead farmers per EPA
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#
#
#
# ##
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# ##
#
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#
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CHAMAMA
MKANDA
KALULUMA
LISASADZI
SANTHE
BOWE
KASUNGU GAME RESERVE
CHULU
MALOMO
MSITU
MIKUNDI
KASUNGU/CHIPALA
KALULUMA
MLONYENI
MVERA
MADISI KALIRE
CHIWOSYA
CHISEPO
CHIKWATULA
NACHISAKA
MNDOLERA
CHIPHUKA
MPONELA
CHIBVALA
NALUNGA
Kasungu ADD EPAsMulonyeni EPAChiosya EPAMkanda EPAMikundi EPAKasungu Game ReserveMajor RoadsMajor Rivers
# Lead farmers Location
80000 0 80000 160000 Meters
N
KASUNGU AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT DIVISIONSCROP LIVESTOCK INTERGRATED PROJECT
Lead Farmer Location
LEGEND
Similar to Bokashi manureMixture of animal fecal matter, fertilizer tree leaves, ash, virgin soil and add water then cover with plastic - wait for 21 days to mature
Windrow type
• Popularized manure management activities in Malawi
Liquid manure (dung and water) – apply after 21 days
Pelleted chicken droppings manure
Pit manure makingMud coated
manure (common)
Challenges in composting• Exposure of animal manure to sunlight
• Poor quality of compost
• Low quantity of compost made at household (application rate: 5 - 20t/ha)
Shortage of manure
Shortage of crop residues
Shortage of ash Shoratge of labour Lack of practical knowledge
Lack of focus0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
8%4%
0%
8%
56%
24%
0%
12%
0%
27% 27%
35%
What Contributes To Poor Quality And Low Quanti ty Of Compost in Dedza, Malawi
Quality of compost Quantity of compost
Some requirements and production estimates from digesters
Gas plant type (model)
Number of animals (cattle)
Water & dung per day (1:1)
Gas produced per day (cu m)
Sun dried fertilizer produced per day (kg)
Number of people served by gas (cooking and lighting)
2 cubic meter 4 70 2 4-8 4-5
4 cubic meter 8 160 4 8-16 9-11
10 cubic meter 20 400 18 20-40 20-30
Advantage of composting by biogas technology
• Production of clean domestic energy
• Less emission of SLCPs into atmosphere
• Less drudgery in composting
• Continuous production of compost manure by digesters
Cattl
e du
ng
Biogas
Crop
pro
ducti
on
Gas utilized
Conclusion
• Emphasis on livestock lead farmers for livestock production and marketing
• Value addition to animal fecal matter through biogas technology
• Animal manure management knowledge in crop –livestock integration farming
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