Experiences from the Implementation of Community-Based Goat Breeding Programs in Malawi and Uganda: A Potential Approach for Conservation and Improvement of Indigenous Small Ruminants in Smallholder Farms

Wilson Kaumbata, Helen Nakimbugwe, Wilson Nandolo, Liveness Jessica Banda, Gábor Mészáros, Timothy Gondwe, M Jennifer Woodward-Greene, Benjamin D. Rosen, Curtis P. Van Tassell, Johann Sölkner and Maria Wurzinger
Additional contact information
Wilson Kaumbata: Department of Animal Science, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lilongwe P.O. Box 219, Malawi
Helen Nakimbugwe: Department of Agriculture, Kyambogo University, Kyambogo, Kampala P.O. Box 1, Uganda
Wilson Nandolo: Department of Animal Science, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lilongwe P.O. Box 219, Malawi
Liveness Jessica Banda: Department of Animal Science, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lilongwe P.O. Box 219, Malawi
Gábor Mészáros: Livestock Division, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Timothy Gondwe: Department of Animal Science, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lilongwe P.O. Box 219, Malawi
M Jennifer Woodward-Greene: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
Benjamin D. Rosen: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
Curtis P. Van Tassell: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
Johann Sölkner: Livestock Division, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Maria Wurzinger: Livestock Division, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Strasse 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Maintaining diversity of small ruminant genetic resources is instrumental for sustainable agricultural production. Community-based livestock breeding programs (CBBPs) have emerged as a potential approach to implement breeding programs in smallholder farms. This study assesses the viability of CBBPs as a potential approach for conservation and improvement of indigenous small ruminants, using case studies of goat CBBPs in Malawi and Uganda. Data were collected using focus group discussions, personal interviews, and direct observations. The program promotes and empowers smallholders to have access to small ruminant feed resources through protection of existing communal pasturelands, capacity building in pasture production, and conservation of crop residues and crop by-products. Implementation of the CBBP enhances the contributions through improved animal growth performance, kids’ survival, and twinning rates leading to increased offtake rates and better prices. The existence of permanently established supporting organizations and other stakeholders provides sustainable institutional support instrumental for the establishment and growth of CBBPs. However, establishment of functional community-based institutions (producer cooperatives) and investments in institutional/policy reforms to safeguard fair trading, access to common resources by small ruminant keepers, and adoption of the CBBP model into national livestock development programs are some of the key milestones that can guarantee sustainability.

Keywords: farm animal genetic resources; governance; breeding programs; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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