Goat rearing: a turning point in upscaling rural livelihood
Doti- Rubashkada village is located in the hilly area on the side by the Dipayal-Dhangadhi Highway, which is 110 Km south-east from Dipayal, the district headquarters of Doti. Most of the female members of the village were involved in goat rearing blindly following the traditional methods for livelihood. They have three goats in an average, which were kept in the congested goat sheds.
They were not aware of proper production and management of forage and fodder trees. And they had no knowledge regarding to techniques of prevention from disease, housing, feeding and even a simple breeding management. Their earnings from the goat rearing were not sufficient to meet the both ends of their families. Most of the male members of the village had no other option than going to India as seasonal migrant workers in order to support their families.
The villagers experienced a turning point after the intervention of Agriculture and food security project (AFSP). In 2015, AFSP and the District livestock services office (DLSO) Doti formed a 25-member group called Rubash Meat Goat Breeding Group (RMGBG), which was integrated with the meat goat breeding programme under the technical support of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Forage seed, fodder tree nursery samplings were distributed and goat sheds were improved with an additional contribution on grant support, medication against external and internal parasite, vaccination were carried out, training and goat farmer’s field school was run to adopt them good husbandry practices in their own field with comparing their existing practices.
Cross bred boer goats were produced from their local goats crossing with Australian Boer bucks. According to Bir Bahadur Sinjali, the Chairperson of RMGBG, the group managed to produce 35 cross boer breeding bucks in the year 2016, and sold the bucks at rate NPR 800/kg live weight. It was a pleasant surprise for the group member to learn that buck can be attained 25-30 kg live weight at the age of six months with an average selling value of NPR 20 000 (USD 200) per goat . Mrs Bhabishara Sharu, one of the group members, was very happy to sell a nine month old goat weighing 66 kg live weight at a cost of NPR 52 000 (UDS 520).
At the end of 2017, the group earned NPR 3 4900 000 (USD 34 900) by selling 142 cross boer buck and 65 she-goats. The group will sell next batch of 150 cross Boer Buck and Doe goats up to mid-2018 at a cost of NPR 3 000 000 (USD 30 000).
As a result of introduction of new breeding technology, the group members have experienced a change in two years that made their life better than before. The male members of the village have stopped migrating in India for work. They are staying back at home. they learnt primary skill and knowledge of profitable goat rearing business from their family members, who were trained by AFSP. Now they are boosting and proper utilizing it for commercial purpose. They can meet the household expensed and the school fees for their children. Children are clean and healthier than before with intake of nutritious food. On top of it, the group members are having monthly savings for the better future.
Dr Arjun Pandit, District Technical Officer Livestock, FAO TA to Doti, says that the programme has been successful to get an expected result of better rural livelihood.