Re: [CAMEROON] sustainable livelihoods and farming
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Jacky Foo
May 9, 2007, 1:32:55 AM5/9/07
to IOBB Seminar-02
author unknown wrote (07/05/2007)
>Please it is important to know that Heifer is not starting with pig
>project in Cameroon, She as gathered lots of experience that is paying
>off today. Pigs are encouraged because it is the farmers' choice, and
>they have a reason: the market is potentially available as pigs forms
>an intergral part of their tradition, we in Heifer want to help this
>farmers put into place viable pig production systems that could
>efficiently respond to the percularity of their environment which is
>principally characterised by the complete absence of mechanisms that
>protects the rights of a poor farmer.
>Prices of input increases indiscriminately without taking into
>consideration the profitability in using them, if these farmers can
>put in place alternative systems that could survive in such adverse
>economic situation then they have all to gain.
The paper gave me the contrary impression that a Holistic approach was launched and that :
>Heifer International has been promoting the integration of animals in
>local farming systems in the fight against hunger and poverty in Cameroon.
The paper also gave me an impression that a commercial system was introduced.
The background situation for the 10 local farmer families of the "Eleveurs Agriculteurs Solidaires de Bamboutous" was (as presented in the paper) was that
>Most families in this area have long-term experience with keeping pigs, but
>productivity has been low. Only 2-6 piglets were born per sow, while fattening
>of the animals could take up to 16 months before they could be sold.
>Generally, they kept their animals in fenced areas, sometimes with cemented
>floors. Often, the animals were allowed to roam free after the crops were
>harvested. While in confinement, the animals were fed only with some kitchen
>waste, grass and, if within their means, sometimes a little bit of concentrate
>feeds. There was often no money for vaccination or routine deworming of their
>animals and African swine fever was rampant. The manure produced by the
>animals was rarely used to improve crop production.
The introduced and improved system in 2004 from Heifier International was:
(i) >keeping their pigs in the sty on a raised slatted floor at between 0.7 and 1.5
>meter above the ground
(ii) >Heifer also provides training to some selected farmers in each farmer group
>on basic and low risk health care operations like deworming, external parasite
>control, and administration of antibiotics........
along with "indigenous knowledge on animal health care" using medicinal plants.
(iii) >After the training, some members ......received four weaned piglets ......and
>also some specific feed ingredients, some seeds, and certain agricultural
>equipment.
(iv) Eleveurs Agriculteurs Solidaires de Bamboutous members "concentrate on fattening the pigs" using the "using the "All in - All out" method" where piglets are fattened "for 4 to 5 months to reach market size at 7 to 8 months....", ".......farmers are supplied with commercial feed ingredients so that they can compose their own feed on-farm in an effort to reduce cost."
(v) a revolving fund was estabalished so that feeds could be purchased cheaper if done with bulk orders.
The unknown author confirmed cost cutting efforts
>When data was collected in early 2006 (used in drawing information for the
>article) it was registered that some farmers have cut down cost of feeding
>(65-70% of running cost) by as much as 40% by replacing some and
>at times all of the maize used in feeding their pigs with maize produced
>from their farms.
I am pleased to read that
>The profit margin found in my answer is the one that is obtained when a farmer
>depends entirely on commercial feed (which is an inexistent practice with our
>farmers now) but this profit is not far from the one obtain by farmers at the start
>of the project in 2004,
In Bamenda (2005) my advice to a proposed pig business was to establish sweet potato fields and to grow lots of papaya trees as the first steps. Then after these have been established, pigs can then be brought in. However the project failed quickly when they brought in a graduate in animal science who immediate launched elevated pig houses and feeding with commercial feed.
I note that oil palm kernel cake is cheap (35 cfaf per kg) as compared to 200 cfaf for maize. (Kernel cake has both residual oil and protein).
(see Table 1 in http://groups.google.com/group/iobb-sem02/files)
++++
regards
jacky foo
>Please it is important to know that Heifer is not starting with pig
>project in Cameroon, She as gathered lots of experience that is paying
>off today. Pigs are encouraged because it is the farmers' choice, and
>they have a reason: the market is potentially available as pigs forms
>an intergral part of their tradition, we in Heifer want to help this
>farmers put into place viable pig production systems that could
>efficiently respond to the percularity of their environment which is
>principally characterised by the complete absence of mechanisms that
>protects the rights of a poor farmer.
>Prices of input increases indiscriminately without taking into
>consideration the profitability in using them, if these farmers can
>put in place alternative systems that could survive in such adverse
>economic situation then they have all to gain.
The paper gave me the contrary impression that a Holistic approach was launched and that :
>Heifer International has been promoting the integration of animals in
>local farming systems in the fight against hunger and poverty in Cameroon.
The paper also gave me an impression that a commercial system was introduced.
The background situation for the 10 local farmer families of the "Eleveurs Agriculteurs Solidaires de Bamboutous" was (as presented in the paper) was that
>Most families in this area have long-term experience with keeping pigs, but
>productivity has been low. Only 2-6 piglets were born per sow, while fattening
>of the animals could take up to 16 months before they could be sold.
>Generally, they kept their animals in fenced areas, sometimes with cemented
>floors. Often, the animals were allowed to roam free after the crops were
>harvested. While in confinement, the animals were fed only with some kitchen
>waste, grass and, if within their means, sometimes a little bit of concentrate
>feeds. There was often no money for vaccination or routine deworming of their
>animals and African swine fever was rampant. The manure produced by the
>animals was rarely used to improve crop production.
The introduced and improved system in 2004 from Heifier International was:
(i) >keeping their pigs in the sty on a raised slatted floor at between 0.7 and 1.5
>meter above the ground
(ii) >Heifer also provides training to some selected farmers in each farmer group
>on basic and low risk health care operations like deworming, external parasite
>control, and administration of antibiotics........
along with "indigenous knowledge on animal health care" using medicinal plants.
(iii) >After the training, some members ......received four weaned piglets ......and
>also some specific feed ingredients, some seeds, and certain agricultural
>equipment.
(iv) Eleveurs Agriculteurs Solidaires de Bamboutous members "concentrate on fattening the pigs" using the "using the "All in - All out" method" where piglets are fattened "for 4 to 5 months to reach market size at 7 to 8 months....", ".......farmers are supplied with commercial feed ingredients so that they can compose their own feed on-farm in an effort to reduce cost."
(v) a revolving fund was estabalished so that feeds could be purchased cheaper if done with bulk orders.
The unknown author confirmed cost cutting efforts
>When data was collected in early 2006 (used in drawing information for the
>article) it was registered that some farmers have cut down cost of feeding
>(65-70% of running cost) by as much as 40% by replacing some and
>at times all of the maize used in feeding their pigs with maize produced
>from their farms.
I am pleased to read that
>The profit margin found in my answer is the one that is obtained when a farmer
>depends entirely on commercial feed (which is an inexistent practice with our
>farmers now) but this profit is not far from the one obtain by farmers at the start
>of the project in 2004,
In Bamenda (2005) my advice to a proposed pig business was to establish sweet potato fields and to grow lots of papaya trees as the first steps. Then after these have been established, pigs can then be brought in. However the project failed quickly when they brought in a graduate in animal science who immediate launched elevated pig houses and feeding with commercial feed.
I note that oil palm kernel cake is cheap (35 cfaf per kg) as compared to 200 cfaf for maize. (Kernel cake has both residual oil and protein).
(see Table 1 in http://groups.google.com/group/iobb-sem02/files)
++++
regards
jacky foo
Jacky Foo
May 10, 2007, 8:55:01 AM5/10/07
to IOBB Seminar-02
Source: http://www.iobbnet.org/drupal/node/view/962/3243#comment-3243
++++++++++++++
"Pass On the Gift" system
Submitted by Jacky Foo on Thu, 10/05/2007 - 13:53.
++++++++++++++
Dear Jackson
Would you recommend the "Pass On the Gift" system to other NGOs that
would like to have pig rearing projects with families ?
Is there any lessons learnt from the 10 farmers of the Eleveurs
Agriculteurs Solidaires de Bamboutous group that you would use to make
changes to the original "Pass On the Gift" system ?
Has all the components of the system (training, aid, revolving fund,
etc) worked as they should ?
What are the problem areas ?
-----
Jacky Foo
http://www.iobbnet.org
jackkson ntapi
May 10, 2007, 12:03:41 PM5/10/07
to iobb-...@googlegroups.com
Dear participant, I (Jackson) responded to that question. I am very please reading your experiences because you have been in the location i am talking about. I am having too much to handle in the office (involved in a proposal writing) and had a problem with my digital camara so could not get pictures in time. I have rented a camara and will get some pictures latest tomorrow.
What you mentioned here in is an example of an up to down method of development because it seems like the graduate imposed his point of view, i am also surprised to see farmers embracing a system that doesn't bring them profit i.e the commercial feed based feeding of pigs. With the current price of feed and the level of fluctuation of prices it is difficult for a farmer to get involved in fattening and make profit using only commercial feed. Knowing this, in our training in pig husbandry particularly pig feeding we take into consideration the feed
resources available on-farm. Farmers are adviced from the onset they can use Sweet potato either cooked, dried or even as silage (leaves, stems and tubers), can use cassava, can use irish, etc etc but what is important is the cost of feeding. If they have this information they will not fail in what they choose except if they are forced to embrace a particular system of feeding.
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