The next slides are about rearing livestock in a sustainable way.
It can be risky to rear only one type of livestock. Instead of only cows, it is seen that rearing a mix with smaller animals can be beneficial for farmers. One example is adding goats to the stock if the farmer is only rearing cows.
Different animal species supply different products; e.g. camels and cattle can provide milk, transport and draught power, whereas goats and sheep tend to be slaughtered more often for meat. Chickens often provide the small change for the household, sheep and goats are sold to cover medium expenditures, while larger cattle are sold to meet major expenditures.
Cows and goats can eat different feeds, so farmers can use all the fodder from their lands, and diseases are less likely to affect all animals at the same time. Mixing different animals can be good for productivity, controlling diseases and reducing pressure from the same kind of feed. Moving to smaller animals can also reduce costs and impact on the environment and soil.
Advantage can also be taken of the different reproductive rates of different species to rebuild livestock holdings after a drought. For example, the higher fertility of sheep and goats permits their numbers to multiply quicker than cattle or camels. The small ruminants can then be exchanged or sold to obtain large ruminants.
This slide reminds us why it may be hard for women to adopt mixed livestock approaches. We have talked a lot about the first two points. But we shouldn’t forget that women in many settings also don’t have the same levels of mobility as men to take livestock to graze or may face safety risks if they do so.
This example with Awa helps us understand how difficult it may be for women to raise mixed livestock. But we can also think of ways to help Awa with smaller livestock like chickens and goats. If you were working in Awa’s village, what could you do?
If allowed to freely graze, animals can graze too much and the soil can lose its cover and fertility in the long run. If the grazing land loses fertility and animals cannot graze, everyone suffers. Controlling the feed of livestock can reduce pressure on the land.
This example from Tanzania shows how building sheds to hold cattle can increase soil fertility leading to increased yields.
Let’s discuss how grazing management would go as a practice in your village.
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