• The animals cope better with drought and require less feed
Image: ALPHONCE GARI
A Galla goat breeding project introduced in the drought-stricken Kiambere ward of Embu county is slowly transforming the lives of local farmers who have for years suffered due to persistent dry conditions.
Josephine Njeru, one of the beneficiaries of a Galla goat breeding programme introduced by the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), said the goats are changing their livelihoods.
Njeru, who is a secretary of Muiru Umoja self-help group, said they came together as a group and submitted a proposal to the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) for assistance to improve the local goats breed, which was approved and the Galla goats supplied.
Most have already kidded and the families are now enjoying milk. As a mother, she is happy that through the project aimed at building resilience to drought through improved goat breeds, her children now drink milk daily and she is also able to sell some to get money for their school fees.
We met Njeru at her home in Kiambere, an area that is often among the hardest hit by drought. She could not hide her joy as she showed us her growing Galla goat herd.
“They fetch better prices in the market and have better chances of producing twins and multiplying, which helps us to pay school fees. Our children’s health has improved because of the milk,” she said.
GOATS SURVIVE DROUGHT
When the programme started, Njeru got two female Galla goats and one male. The females have kids and she gives the He-goat to neighbours to service their goats. “We are using the male to improve our local goat breed,” said the farmer.
Initially, Njeru had only the traditional goat breed but their size and milk production are low compared to Galla goats. The group received 14 female Galla goats and 3 males, which were distributed to members.
To her, goat farming is good because the animals cope better with drought and require less feed.
Though farmers in the area also keep cattle, she added, they encounter challenges with pasture during drought seasons.She allows her goats to graze close home and ensures a veterinarian sees them often to prevent diseases.
“Even if the goats have no problem, I normally call a veterinary officer to check their condition and assess their health,” she said.
Njeru added that before they were given the goats, they underwent training on goat husbandry practices and the knowledge has proved to be very helpful.
IMPROVING LOCAL BREEDS
The goat breed improvement project in Kiambere ward was informed by drought assessments that established the ward was one of the worst-hit every time there was drought.
National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) Embu County Drought Response Officer John Olewe said the farmers requested for the Galla goats because they were more adaptable to the environment.
The authority used funding from the European Union to supply the goats as part of its drought resilience-building efforts.
“The goats are still able to get feed during droughts even after pasture is depleted, so they opted for improvement of goat breeds to strengthen their source of livelihood,” he said.
He added that Galla goats survive better in drought-prone areas and mature faster than the local breeds.
They also have better rates of producing twins and an adult could weigh between 55 to 70kg, thus fetching better prices.
“A Galla goat can produce 0.5 to 1 litre of milk per day, depending on the nutritional status. If there is supplementation with salts and vitamins, it can go up to a litre a day,” he said.
Olewe added that goat milk is more nutritious compared to cow milk as it has high butterfat content.
After the initial training, the farmers were linked to service providers such as reliable agro-dealers to ensure the sustainability of the project.
HUSBANDRY PRACTICES.
Another farmer, Charles Njiru, said the area is ideal for goat rearing.
The major challenge is maintaining their health and the training they got came in very handy.
“The training we received has enabled me to know the kind of goats to buy in the market. Galla goats have long legs and horns and black hide but the fur is white,” he said.
Harriet Nguru said the training equipped them with skills to take care of the goats.
The goats were supplied after the training and she ended up with two - male and female.
“Many farmers have used the He-goat to service their local goats and many people like the results,” she said.
She currently has 20 goats and hopes to improve the breed of her entire herd. She says goat farming has better returns than growing maize or beans due to the weather conditions in the area.
To her, Galla goats are easier to manage than other types of animals as they are resistant to diseases and can survive with very minimum feed.
“I used to have a dairy goat but it came with many challenges such as diseases and taking care of it was time-consuming,” Nguru said.
Since the number of goats supplied was not enough for every member, beneficiaries are expected to give out female kids to other members and retain males.
Nguru advises other farmers to join self-help groups to benefit from similar projects that seek to build resilience and transform livelihoods.
