Enhancing Livelihoods of Poor Livestock Keepers through Increased Use of Fodder
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Item Enhancing innovation in livestock value chains through networks: Lessons from fodder innovation case studies in developing countries(Journal Article, 2012-06-01) Ayele, Seife; Duncan, Alan J.; Larbi, Asamoah; Truong Tan KhanhFodder scarcity is a perennial problem for many smallholder farmers in developing countries. This paper discusses how fodder technologies and knowledge have been introduced and integrated in diverse livestock production systems in Ethiopia, Syria and Vietnam. A synthesis of lessons learnt shows that fodder innovation is triggered and diffused by actors interacting and learning in networks, and on farms. Fodder innovation, being only one element of livestock value chains, is sustainably enhanced when linked to other innovations and market-oriented activities that optimize productivity gains. Yet innovating smallholder farmers face systemic constraints to access markets, and need to organize in groups to exploit opportunities. The paper concludes that rather than treating innovation systems and value chain approaches to agricultural development as separate tools, the integration of their complementary features enhances smallholders’ innovation and market success.Item What’s in it for me? Ten lessons on multi-stakeholder networks(Brief, 2011-11-09) Sones, Keith R.; Duncan, Alan J.Item Smallholder cattle fattening in Viet Nam(Report, 2011-07-25) Truong Tan Khanh; Nguyen, Ngoc Anh; Stür, Werner W.; Tiemann, Tassilo T.; Duncan, Alan J.Item Planted forage as an entry point for catalysing stakeholder action on broader livestock value chain issues: Experiences from Ethiopia(Report, 2011-07-25) Duncan, Alan J.; Ergano, Kebebe; Adie, Aberra; Geleti, D.; Assefa, T.; Bediye, S.Item Enhancing livelihoods of poor livestock keepers through increased use of fodder in Syria(Report, 2011-07-24) Larbi, Asamoah; Abdullah, M.; Hassan, S.Item Process of up-scaling fodder development: Viet Nam case(Report, 2011-07-25) Truong Tan Khanh; Nguyen Ngoc Anh; Stür, Werner W.; Tiemann, Tassilo T.; Duncan, Alan J.Item Credit through traders—Enabling the poorest to engage in cattle fattening(Report, 2011-07-25) Truong Tan Khanh; Nguyen Ngoc Anh; Stür, Werner W.; Tiemann, Tassilo T.; Duncan, Alan J.Item Feed a key issue to manage livestock systems in transition(Video, 2010-11-19) International Livestock Research InstituteAfter a session of the the November 2010 Fodder Adoption Project (FAP) workshop in Laos, we recorded 'notes' of three world cafe hosts who collated cross-project lessons (from Ethiopia, Syria, and Vietnam) on three issues: Innovation approaches, feed assessment, and scaling out. Here Michael Blümmel of ILRI, reports back on the discussions about feed assessment in the project. He emphasized that feed is a key issue in determining livestock productivity and the overall economics of livestock system; it also concerns how much we are affecting the environment through, for example, greenhouse gas emissions. So feed is very much at the interface of the positive and negative effects of livestock. A key message from the workshop discussions is that we need to look at feed resources in a much wider context, in relation to systems, in relation to markets and in relation to improving value chains. He considers this a promising outcome as previously people focused on more limited technical entry points. Some other key issues: - The need to better understand feed gaps and demand. Are we looking to satisfy current needs, subsistence needs, or are we looking forward to the so called livestock revolution where farmers have to produce more, with fewer animals, for fast growing markets for animal products - Better defining what we mean by a feed gap? Is it defined in terms of how a farmer can produce more, or at a country level? - Are we focusing too much on the positive side of feeds ... and neglecting trade-off effects... land, water. We need to do much more in terms of balancing positive and negative effects. In conclusion, the group seems to agree that we should focus on livestock systems in 'transition' - trying to move people out of poverty (by increasing their productivity, increasing their production for markets) and believing that once they move out of agriculture, we are essentially looking at new livestock systems in the future.Item Innovation approaches—Collective learning from the Fodder Adoption Project(Video, 2010-11-19) Puskur, RanjithaAfter a session of the the November 2010 Fodder Adoption Project (FAP) workshop in Laos, we recorded 'notes' of three world cafe hosts who collated cross-project lessons (from Ethiopia, Syria, and Vietnam) on three issues: Innovation approaches, feed assessment, and scaling out. Here Ranjitha Puskur of ILRI reports on the lessons on innovation approaches that have been tried in the project. The collective learning by the group revealed that the countries practiced diverse approaches and processes; however these approaches seem to work well when there is a good balance between technologies and the process, there are good market opportunities, and the approach is 'hybridized' with the value chains approach. She points out that these approaches are quite complex and facilitation intensive, who brokers this facilitation is a key factor that influences the outcomes. For stakeholder platforms of the kind supported in the project to be effective, it is clear that the actors who need to be involved need to clearly see their role, the incentives, and benefits they will get and so develop commitment to the process. Two missing aspects are: 1) how to reach out to policymakers at various levels that would enable scaling up and out of the project outputs, and 2) how to target communities and households so the benefits of these processes are captured locally, and not by the elite. She raised one other significant issue: monitoring and evaluation. We talk of 'innovation capacity building' as something we do in such projects, but what do we mean by this, and how do we capture the unintended benefits of projects that employ such innovation approaches? Do we really know enough about such approaches overall? There seems to be a big agenda here for further research and learning.Item Scaling out project outcomes requires a 'special chemistry'(Video, 2010-11-19) International Livestock Research InstituteAfter a session of the the November 2010 Fodder Adoption Project (FAP) workshop in Laos, we recorded 'notes' of three world cafe hosts who collated cross-project lessons (from Ethiopia, Syria, and Vietnam) on three issues: Innovation approaches, feed assessment, and scaling out. Here Werner Stür, formerly with CIAT in Vietnam, reports back on the discussions about scaling out in the project. The group talked a lot about the 'starting point' of scaling out - everybody agreed that a 'success story' is needed - a technology, perhaps a process, that at a particular site has provided a benefit for farmers and people see a potential for many others to take advantage of the success... He raises the issue of where scaling out should be done, who decides this and who is responsible for the scaling out. It seems there is no fixed methodology, but some guiding principles could be identified: - Many more stakeholders and actors need to be involved. We are not talking just of a technology, it is a process that needs other actors like traders, private sector, credit, etc - Political support is needed, from government, also excitement from the NGO sector and others - Many specialized capacities are needed, eg for targeting, facilitating, bringing together the actors - There is a big role for media and communications to get get the story out and help build consensus among all the actors Finally, he drew attention to some 'special skill' and motivations that are necessary to bring the stakeholders together: "The chemistry of the key stakeholder has to fit; if that's not working it becomes very very difficult."Item Practices of feeding dairy animals by SNV client farmers and some recommendations for promising technologies(Presentation, 2011-01-27) Mogus, S.Item Current status of dairy cow feeding in the Ethiopian Central Highlands and some recommendations for promising technologies(Brief, 2011-01-26) Mogus, S.This leaflet is an extract from a study commissioned by SNV Support to Business Organisation and the Access to Markets Program (BOAM) in its Milk and Milk Products Value Chain Sub-program. The study focused on the client farmers’ and members of dairy farmer cooperatives’ state of knowledge and practice of feeding dairy animals in Jimma, Addis Alem, Debre Markos, Sululta and Selale. The leaflet highlights the major on the current status of feeding practices for dairy animals and some recommendations which can be used for most of the Central Highlands of Ethiopia.Item Participatory evaluation of planted forages in Ada’a, Miesso and Alamata woredas of Ethiopia(Report, 2010-12-20) Adie, Aberra; Duncan, Alan J.; Ergano, KebebeThe IFAD-funded Fodder Adoption Project facilitated local fodder stakeholder platforms in three pilot learning woredas (Ada’a, Mieso and Alamata) starting in May 2008. Through these stakeholder platforms different fodder options were introduced to farmers with the aim of alleviating the feed scarcity problem for enhanced market-oriented livestock production. Through focus group discussions with farmers and other stakeholders, different forage species were selected by farmers to be planted on their farms. Farmers evaluated the performance and impact of the different forages they planted in 2008 and made further choices on which to plant in following years. The results of the initial evaluation process revealed that there were preferences for certain forage species from the various options they tried in their farms. During the second year, the farmers were encouraged to plant the forage species of their preference for further fodder development. Through the activities of the stakeholder platforms successful fodder species and the processes which led to their uptake have been scaled out to new kebeles and farmers in the three woredas. As a result, the number of farmers participating in forage development increased from 44 to 84 in Ada’a, from 40 to 80 in Miesso and remained at 20 in Alamata in both 2008 and 2009 planting seasons. A participatory forage evaluation was carried out in Sept 2010 to understand and document the farmers’ perceptions of the forages they had grown.Item Conducting a participatory video project with farmers involved in the Fodder Adoption project activities in Mieso Woreda, Ethiopia: Report on a short consultancy(Report, 2010-10-15) Cullen, BethThe aim was to use participatory video as a tool for capturing community views and perceptions on their collaboration with the Fodder Adoption Project over the last 3 years. Fodder Adoption Project of ILRI has been working with farmers and other stakeholders in Mieso woreda since early 2008 to develop fodder resources using a local stakeholder platform for implementation. We wanted to allow our target farmers to give their views on fodder development activities and whether the involvement of a wide group of stakeholders has been a useful approach in terms of accelerating development.Item Understanding Fodder Innovations(Conference Paper, 2008-04-15) Puskur, RanjithaItem Some notes on a workshop on a Feed Resource Assessment in Smallholder Systems(Conference Paper, 2009-06-18) Adie, AberraA small group met for three days with the aim of developing a simple tool for characterizing the smallholder feeding system in different environments. The vision was to produce something that would be useful for development agencies to diagnose feed issues and provide guidance for potential interventions. With this in mind, the group included participants from the NGO sector (BAIF and Himothan) to maintain the focus of the researchers making up the rest of the group, on producing something practical.Item Rapid Market Appraisal (RMA) for Fodder Products(Training Material, 2008-11-04) Wandschneider, T.The training course “Rapid Market Appraisal for Fodder Products” was conducted under the auspices of the IFAD Fodder Adoption Project. The training was provided by Tiago Wandschneider of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). Thirteen people from Ethiopia, Syria, Vietnam and the United Kingdom participated in the course. The main objective of the course was to equip participants with basic knowledge and skills that will enable them to contribute to future market research activities under the IFAD fodder Adoption Project. Emphasis was given to providing participants with an understanding of important marketing concepts and key features of agricultural markets and to guiding them through the different steps of a Rapid Market Appraisal (RMA).Item Innovation processes and outcomes in different national contexts: Preliminary findings of FAP meta-analysis(Presentation, 2010-11-18) Ayele, SeifeItem Enhancing livelihoods of poor livestock keepers through increasing use of fodder: Syria Report on Project Output 3 - Enhanced capacity of project partners to experiment with the use of fodder innovations through effective communication, technical information and training(Presentation, 2010-11-15) Larbi, Asamoah; Hassan, S.; Abdullah, M.