To support countries vulnerable to drought and the effects of climate change, FAO and Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) organized a capacity development course on sustainable livestock feed development and breeding techniques in resource-constrained situations. Heldwithin the frameworkof the African Regional Initiative Building Resilience in Africa’s Drylands, the course brought fifteen participants from nine francophone countries in Africa to Israel from 24 June to 13 July 2018.

The aim of the training was to share Israeli know-how and experience in the livestock sector, and thus to enable livestock extension and research officers, as well as producers, to strengthen the capacity of vulnerable pastoral/agro-pastoral communities to manage their water and feed resources and range for their livestock in drought conditions. The course addressed key issues of sustainable water management and feed production, and improved herd management and breeding techniques in water and heat-constrained situations.

“Considering the recurrent drought crises in Africa, to which the livestock sector is particularly vulnerable, and the fact that livestock represents the main source of food and income for pastoral communities in the arid and semi-arid lands of Africa, this type of SSTC Activity is of high value for the region”, said Cyprien Biaou, Livestock Development Officer for FAO in Central Africa and mission leader for the course. “Course participants will be able to apply in their home countries the strategies, techniques and knowledge they acquired, increasing the resilience of communities through reduced livestock losses and improved livestock productivity”, said Oded Halamit, Director of the MASHAV Agriculture Training Center.

In many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, livestock production lacks investment and carefully planned approaches that target smallholders. In times of drought and other forms of environmental stress, pastoral and agro-pastoral households often lose significant portions of their stock, and the remaining stock is often in poor condition – to the detriment of their livelihoods. Despite its recognized potential for land occupation and economic growth, under these conditions, pastoral livestock production will maintain its saw-tooth trend and thus discourage youth workforce engagement.

After three weeks of intensive and hands-ontraining, the participants agreed to form a network of “innovation catalyzers”. The group, which was composed of seven female and eight male participants selected on the basis on their activities in their respective countries or organizations, committed to support each other in adapting some acquired technologies and strategies in their working environments through SSTC. Each participant developed a work plan, the implementation of which will be followed up through FAO and MASHAV videoconferencing facilities.

The set-up of this network among the course participants aims to be a platform for them to exchange experiences in implementing the knowledge and technologies shared in the training; consequently allowing them to monitor their progress, and share potential solutions to similar challenges faced. Moreover, the technologies and innovations shared by MASHAV have also been shared through regional livestock platforms, at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) level, helping to booster South-South Cooperation at intraregional level.

The training – which as all SSTC activities was demand-driven – was a follow-up to a course jointly delivered by FAO and MASHAV in 2017 that targeted Anglophone countries in Africa. These activities were organized under the framework of cooperation between FAO and MASHAV, which was formalized with the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2015, and are close related with FAO’s Strategic Programme 5 to address the livestock sector’s continental challenges.

About MASHAV

MASHAV is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Since its establishment in 1958, MASHAV has been active in 140 countries worldwide, directly training more than 300,000 men and women in a broad variety of fields, sharing with fellow nations new and innovative technologies and accumulated expertise that spearheaded Israel’s own development.