Seasonal feed scarcity is a recurrent problem faced by pastoralists aside from natural disasters like drought, flood, insect infestation, and erosion which are common happenings in a country like Nigeria. All these pose a significant impact on the availability of pasture for cattle feeding and sustainability. Dairy is an important source of protein, calcium, iron, and zinc, but access to quality dairy products for low-income consumers remains a challenge. This is directly linked to limited access to quality fodder and water which is a major challenge faced by smallholder dairy farmers. Pastoralists are often faced with the problem of seasonal fluctuation in milk volumes due to lack of enough fodder and grazing lands during the dry seasons in the year.
To address this, the partnership between Nestle and 2SCALE aims to encourage the intensification of cattle husbandry in Nigeria by transitioning from pastoral to smallholder dairy farming. This partnership also aims to reduce the existing tensions between pastoralists and crop farmers within and around grazing reserves. To address the issues related to fodder availability, the development of a model ranch and farmhouse which would serve as a learning farm to promote best practices for adoption has been set up.
Engaging the youth to build a sustainable fodder system
Building a sustainable fodder system is an important practice for pastoralists because it helps them build resilience against erratic weather conditions, inaccessibility of grazing land, and rising prices of animal feed. For this reason, a training was conducted in October 2021 to improve access to better quality feed at the dairy cooperative level in the Paikon Kore grazing reserve. In attendance were 100 youths (60 males and 40 females) from five dairy cooperatives.
The youth were trained on how to conserve fodder during the wet season and later feed dairy cows during scarcity to reduce the fluctuation of milk production. As key players in the supply chain, the youth were motivated to be a part of this training because of the opportunities available for them in the raw milk business.
At the end of the training, the youth were provided with one forage chopper, a drum of molasses, 500 silage bags, and a jumbo bag in order to kick-start their business.
Before the training, the youths were mainly engaged in crop farming (maize, sorghum, and soya) and after the training, all five cooperatives that were a part of the training produced and sold silage in 2021. Most of them did not have knowledge of silage production and that crop residue can be preserved to be used as fodder during the dry season.
One of the training participants, 34-year-old Yusuf Usman narrates about the impact the training has had on himself, his cooperative and the community:
The training gave me an opportunity to learn about silage production and the impact cannot be described because previously, I did not know that we could make silage and hay to increase the milk volume of our cows. We had been experiencing low milk production prior to the training and our cows would sometimes produce 0.5 litres daily. With the consumption of silage, the cows produce as much as 2.5 litres daily, even during the drier seasons of the year.
In addition to using the silage as feed for their cows, Yusuf and fellow youth packaged 460 kgs of silage which they sold at N13, 800 ($31).
This amount was used to empower their wives to acquire profitable skills such as the making of liquid soap, perfumes, and petroleum jelly (body lotion made from mineral oils and wax). The women make an average of N7,000 ($16) weekly from selling these products to members of their community.
Enhancing Adoption Through Learning Farms
Mohammad Musa Bayero is a 42-year-old lead farmer residing in Paikon Kore. His farmland was used as a demonstration farm where other farmers would visit to learn more about fodder management. He narrates,
I was one of the participants and beneficiaries of the silage training from 2SCALE. My farmland of one hectare was used to plant the various fodder variety seeds gotten from training. In addition, our community was given one forage chopper, a drum of molasses and bags to package the silage. The cows used to produce 0.5 litres to 1 litre daily but with consumption of silage, during the first five days of consumption the cows produced 0.5 litres. From the 6th -10th day, the cows produced 1 litre, from the 11th -15th day the cows produced 2 litres and from 16th -20th day, 2.5 litres of milk was produced. This is great impact for us since we now have milk to consume and sell. A litre of milk is sold for N300 ($0.7) and this is a great source of income for our wives.