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

labour to meet the requirements of dairying,
especially during the summer months. In %iew
of this shortage, families and associati.ms
(vendors) can employ labour to look aftcr the
diary cattle and also to assist in field work and
milk marketing. In this way dairying generatrs
employment in rural areas, thereby addressing
the national problem of high unemployment
rates,
Since the majority of members of rural
projects are women, development program. -s
should address their needs, including the
improvement of living conditions and provision
o'employment opportunities.
Increased milk supplies at farm level should
improve nutrition. Increases in the number of
cattle kept will increase the availability of farm
yard manure, which is applied to arable crops.
These benefits correspond well with the mandate
of the Dairy Development Programme in
Zimbabwe. In the long-term, the adoption of
zero-grazing w ill reduce stocking rates ono
communal areas and hence enhance environmental
sustainability in the rural areas,
Factors contributing to the
success or failure of livestock
development programmes
Problems facing livestock development programmes
include:
" Lack of funds and delays in support to the
DDP and othe- service agencies and departments.
" Inadequate implementation of policies and
consequent poor support of DDP.
" A critical shortage ofdairy equipment, spares
and vehicles.
* The stringent requirements imposed by the
Dairy Act on those entering dairying, making
it a costly exercise. The act s~ts standards
such as running water, concrete floors and
modem roofs which are too expensive for the
rural poor.
" Shortage of trained manpower and
experience. There is a shortage of people
trained in dairy-related skills, in particular
those who can meet the needs of the smallholder
farmers. 'lb improve the situation,
in-service training is baing increased. Adairy
handbook is almost ready and a team
approach to training ihrmers is under way.
" Feed shortages in the dry season. Most
smallholders live in semi-arid areas, which
are not suitable for dairying.
" Lack of skills in fodder conservation,
Production based on rain-fed pastures is
possible for only two to thrce months of the
year. For the remainder of the year these
pastures barely meet the maintenance
requirement for diary cows let alone provide
for the production of milk. Most smallholder
171
farmers have no experience in feed
production and conservation.
Constraints at the farmer level are
nuerous.
• Theindigenouscattlegivelowmilkyieldsand
therefore there is a need for crossbreeding.
* The implementation of rational breeding
programmes using both natural mating and
artificial insemination has been slow.
• Farmers' resistance and lack of understanding
have contributed to the slow
progress.
. Artificial insemination has not been
successful due to problems of heat detection.
• To help overcome the slow process of
crossbreeding in situ there is need for in-calf
crossbred heifers to be made available to
prospective smllholder milk producers. The
ADA farm in Transsau hns been producing
these crossbred heifers. However, DDP plans
tae o ver h i es . An innovat s
to take over this responsibility. An innovative
commercial farmer has produced Mashona x
Red Dane crosses which are dual-purnose
animals.
* Long-term credit is difficult for smallholder
farmers to acquire. The basic criteria for
credit qualification have not been adjusted to
account for the specific conditions of smallscale
dairy farmers by the AFC. 'b fill thisgap
a Dairy Development Fund has been
proposed.
* Related to credit there is the issue of 1Lnd
tenure. While most small-scale commen al
farmers have title to their farms and are aLie
to operate independently, the tenure systems
operating in the communal and resettlement
areas act against individual efforts. Overstocking
and degradation ofthe environment
are major problems in communal areas.
Farmer security is therefore threatened by
absence of title deeds in these areas.
* Management skills in general are low and
need considerable improvement; a comprehensive
training programme is a priority.
* Milk collection and delivery is another area of
concern. Distances to deliver milk are
relatively great, averaging 15 km. Hence,
appropriate milk collection and delivery
systems must be set up. Use of donkey carts,
bicycles and other unmotorised modes of
transport are encouraged.
• The local sale of milk poses a number of
problems, including distribution seasonal
and daily changes in demand. Options being
considered and tried include selling to schools
and institutions, setting up subcentres,
bartering and rural processing.
• In general, farmers are relatively poor and
slow to adopt new technologies. Smallholder
farmers are traditionally hesitant and averse