aistand south~ern afrkca - (PDF, 101 mb) - USAID

cows that were on heat so that the AI specialist
could inseminate the cows on time. Extension
workers were also provided with motorcycles
and bicycles to enable them to reach farmers
easily.
To sustain farmer interest and thl
productivity of the introduced system, on-statie
and on-farm research was continuously
conducted to provide new or improved technologiec.
The Department of Agricultural
Research in the Ministry of Agriculture was
mandated to conduct rer-arch to improve the
productivity of smallholder cattle. The focus of
such research was on improved forage production
and feding technologies targeted at the
smallholders. The development of suitable dairy
cattle genotype for smallholder conditions was
also a priority.
Adoption of research technologies
in dairying
Thc crossbred cow has widely been accepted by
smallholder this animal has dairy largely farmers. been The due to preference its high milk for
pthinal potasl.ely dtots were m
predcton
pressed to purchase
ptchsethel.
the
Eanily
animals by extension
tesi wof
workers, who repeatedly preached the advantages
ofa crossbred cow over the Malawi Zebu as
a milch cow. Farmers were frequently visited by
Government workers on advisory missions
Genent
t
wor er onwedvisorm issios t
ensure that animals were well managed.
Originally, smallholder farmers were the
target group; however, now businessmen and
civil servants (particularly those nearing
retirement) also want to have dairy cows. The
limiting factor on the adoption of the
technologies is the scarcity of dairy cows.
While all the farmers adhered to the
prescribed conditions for six months to a year,
farmers' interest waned and money made from
dairying was put to non-related activities,
instead of being reinvested in the dairy
operation. This was more common among
farmers with large land holdings and those who
had alternative cash-generating enterprises
such as growing tobacco and food crops (maize
and groundnuts). There is als a stubbornness
inherent in businessmen, who normally think
that they can operate independently without
recourse to advise. As a result, some of them
overfed or underfed the animals, with the
consequence that extension workers shunned
such farmers. Likewise, most civil servants
(assumed to be educated) were normally
disparaging of extension workers, thinking that
all the required information could be obtained
rrom text books. They normally resorted to
advisory services only in such specialist areas as
artificial insemination (AI). Extension services
to business and civil servants were usually
minimised by extension workers as such farmers
purchased their animals for cash. Therefore the
pragmatic need to pursue them to repay loans,
145
as is in the case with most smallholder farmers,
was not there.
In general, the civil servants and businessmen
were difficult smalholders.
Factors affecting development and
expansion of dairying
Among the positive factors that have contributed
to the development of smallholder dairying in
Malawi had been a comprehensive milk
marketing strategy. The Government has upgraded
the milk collection centres by installing
diesel- or electricity-driven cooling facilities and
organising farmers into groups called "milk
bulking groups". The bulking groups purchase
milk fiom members and sell it to the Malawi
Dairy Industr;, (MDI), a parastatal organisation.
A bo.. scheme was also introduced
based upon the volume of milk sold. The
introduction of bulking groups and the cooling
facilities has reduced the cost of collection and
wastage of milk.
Malawi Dairy Industries also has a yearly
revision of fresh milk prices based upon the cost
a milk 2 % production.
m ri The b v objective
r d is ci to maintain n c s s
a 25% margin above production costs.
Furthermore, producers are paid more than the
import price ofpowdered milk. This ensures that
farmers are marginally affected by external
market forces. In order to
of
maintain
production and
high
quality of
levels
raw milk, MDI has
a pricing scheme that is based on the volume of
milk sold, the butterfat content of the milk and
whether the milk is cooled or not. Farmers who
deliver their milk directly to the dairy plant are
also paid a bonus price. The processing and
distribution of high-quality milk and milk
products, coupled with product advertisements
or consumer education, has resulted in high
demand for dairy products in the country.
The initiation of bulking groups has resulted
in the Government delegating some responsibilities
to farmers. Functions such as the
purchasing of raw milk from farmers, purchase
of inputs (drugs, feeds and fertilisers in bulk) for
resale to farmers have been transferred to the
groups. This has created high levels ofleadership
skills among farmers. T,! bulking groups have
now fbrmed milkshed.bsed associations.
Recently the three associotic ns (Shire Highlands
Milk ProducersAssociation, CentralRegionMilk
Producers Association and Mzuzu Dairy
Farmers Association) merged to form the Milk
Producers Association. The association's
objectives were to:
* Develop leadership skills among dairy
farmers;
* Represent farmers at various levels;
* Streamline field problems in dairying­
* Provide communication channels for
livestock extension; and