Lilongwe District Goat Project
Lilongwe District Goat project
This project will target smallholder farmers from Nsundwe and Nkhoma areas that are interested in goat production but have limited resources. Vulnerable households with malnourished under-five aged children and those looking after orphans and/or people living with HIV and AIDS will be given special consideration in this project.
The project will promote sustainable goat production through supplying households with an initial stock of local female goats and improved exotic bucks. Farmers will be organised into groups of 15 members, assisted to construct appropriate housing and supplied with local does and either a dairy or meat breed buck depending on preference. The buck will be jointly managed by each group whilst the does will be allocated to individual household members, who will be required to pass on two female offspring to members of new groups.
Group members will be provided with training in goat management by staff from Bunda College, University of Malawi. Research carried out from 1992 to 2004 by the University of Malawi has shown that goat milk is ideal for combating malnutrition and supplementing the diets of those with HIV and AIDS, which are prevalent in Nsundwe and Nkhoma. Dairy goat crosses are also in high demand locally, selling at double the price of local meat goats.
The project aims to directly benefit up to 60 households initially, through:
- Increased goat ownership
- Newly acquired goat management and marketing skills
- Improved nutritional status as a direct result of access to meat and milk, or indirectly from sales enabling households to purchase other food items
- Reduced exploitation from traders following training in marketing techniques
- Nutrient cycling through the use of goat manure for crop production
- Reduction in crop damage and environmental degradation through improved housing and husbandry
