21st September 2011 GCL: Agriculture, Food Security and Water Access

1. Diversification and Knowledge
Exchange to Promote Food
Security
Dr. Mizeck Chagunda
Senior Researcher
Scottish Agricultural College (SAC)

2. Outline
• Food security
– Traditional approach
– Diversified approach
• Knowledge Exchange
• Partnerships

3. Food Security

4. Traditional Approach
• Arable crops have traditionally
dominated the definition
• Other Enterprises have been
perceived as supplementary

6. The Problem
• Narrow Definition not sustainable
• Crop production has tended to be
seasonal
• Financial security: not only safety-net but
also a substantial contributor

7. Diversification

8. Diversification
• Not only into other crops
• Market oriented enterprises
• Livestock production (case of dairy)

9. Why livestock matter?
• Provide food
• Enhanced nutrition
• Income
• Traction and fertilizer
• Act as catalysts that transform subsistence
farming into income-generating enterprises
• Allowing poor households to join the market
economy

10. Role of smallholder Dairy
% response for main occupation
Activities
Dairying 57.5
Other agricultural activities 39.8
Employed 0.9
Small scale business 1.8
• 70% dairy farmers are above the US$1.00/day poverty line
in terms of income only
• Potential energy source
• Can it contribute more? Yes

11. Opportunities
• Flagship
• Willing farmers
• Experience from Farmers
• Non Governmental Organisations
• Local organisations including farmer
associations
• Partnerships

12. Challenges
• Feeding and feed resources
• Cow fertility
• Breeding and Recording
• Milk keeping quality
• Low yields
• Low profits

13. Anything in common?
• Different scales
• Same challenges

14. Similarities: Scotland - Malawi
• Use of same breeds
• Issues of cow fertility
• Milk prices
• Feeding
• Animal Health

15. Knowledge Exchange

16. SAC Projects in Malawi
• Dairy farming practices for sustainable
land use, environmental protection and
improved rural livelihoods: 2008 - 2011
• Capacity Building in small-holder dairy
farms in Malawi (Optimising Smallholder
Dairying): 2008 - 2011
• Dairy Diploma Programme: 2010 - 2013

17. Knowledge Exchange
• Training of Trainers – Training Workshops
• Training of Farmers -
• Training of Technical support
• Training of Scientists - workshops
• Supporting lead farmers
• Vet equipment
• Visits
• Training on training methods

18. Knowledge Exchange
• Different format depending on audience
– Workshop
– Visits
– Training
• Different facilitators/Trainers
– Peer training
– Expert trainers

19. Approaches
Approach Resource Example
Person
Show how to do it Trainer Artificial
Insemination
course
Enable how to do it Facilitator Record keeping
I believe you can do Training the Training/ Mentoring
it Trainer
Let’s do it differently Innovator Feed presentation

20. Specific achievements
Outcome(s) Indicator Where are we?
Increased knowledge Training courses and knowledge Staff exchange
exchange between exchange sessions.. Training of trainers
Malawian and Scottish dairy Knowledge exchange
experts. sessions
Increased forage quality Increase in quantity of harvested Training sessions conducted
and availability. and conserved forage
Demonstration units
established
Increase in milk keeping Reduce milk rejections. Training sessions for farmers
quality Training sessions for milk
buyers
Increase inseminations and increased conception rates AI training (farmer technicians, AI
hence increase cow fertility. technicians)
The visual report Introduce and promote use of CPM Curve Developed and tested
performance graphs
Dairy experts At least 2 Malawian MSc 3 Trained

21. Training sessions
Ext. workers Lead farmers
Thematic Area Total
Female Male Female Male
Animal recording and breeding 10 55 2 12 79
Forage production and feeding 3 22 2 12 39
Milk quality control 6 16 0 0 22
Artificial Insemination 0 1 2 12 15
MSc 1 2 0 0 3
16% female

22. Financial Security
• A drop of 69% and 34% in empirical
values of milk with mastitis and
adulteration, respectively
• Helped establish a Milk Bulking Group
around Bunda College

23. Partnerships

24. SAC and Partners in Malawi
• Funding
• Partner Institutions:
Government of Malawi University of Malawi Mzuzu University
Department of Animal Bunda College
Health and Livestock
Development

25. Some Lessons Learnt

26. Positives
• Pre-call discussion i.e. Build relationships
• Project inception meeting
• Lay out simple but clear procedures
• Communication
• Involve wide range of stakeholders

27. Improvables
• Project ownership
– Bunda project
– Involve farmers in the planning of the sessions
• Funding Mechanism
– Follows traditional route

28. Funding route
Traditional
Funding level
1 2 3
Proposed Years
Funding level
1 2 3 4 5
Years

29. Conclusion
• Secure assets: Help keep animals alive
• Improve and sustain smallholder
productivity
• Increasing market participation

30. 30