Posted May 1997
SMALL-SCALE FARMERS, particularly women, have often kept small animals such as sheep, goats and chickens. They are all relatively easy to keep and provide a ready source of income for the family. The products provided by the animals can be sold at local markets and, if extra money is needed by the household for school fees or a family feast, the animals can also be sold individually.
In Gambia, many women in rural villages keep small livestock and now a nation-wide project has helped to improve husbandry skills and to add value to the products which the women can then sell at local markets. Working with the Department of Livestock Services in Gambia, FAO's Animal Production and Health Division at FAO, (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation) has introduced a number of simple health and management interventions which have already proved to be very successful in a large number of villages.
Improved management has also brought about a decrease in the incidence of disease, which has contributed to the considerable improvement in production rates. In just five years the incidence of serious diseases such as Newcastle Disease, which affects poultry, and PPR (peste des petit ruminants), a disease similar to rinderpest in cattle which affects sheep and goats, has been reduced dramatically. The increased numbers of livestock which are being produced by the smallholders can now be sold or exchanged for larger stock. For instance, several chickens may be sold in exchange for an extra sheep or a goat which in turn may be exchanged, in small numbers, for a young cow. Through this process the value of stock in the household is steadily increased and more food is available: both directly from livestock products such as milk and meat; and indirectly from the extra income generated, which can then be used to buy other food products. Additional benefits not measured by the outcome of the project also lie in the extra manure that is produced by the livestock which is incorporated into the fields and in turn, more of the crop by-products used to feed livestock, thus reducing waste.
Overall, the women in the project villages have responded well to the challenges put to them and in many cases they are beginning to specialize in their own particular area within a household of several women. For example, one may specialize in producing vegetables and another in small livestock. They are then able to barter between themselves for the products produced and in this way they can both improve their production and incomes for their households. The older men in the villages have also been participating by helping the women to build simple enclosures for animals, to barter for animal feed and in transporting fodder to the village. By doing this "traditional" men's work they are helping both the younger men, who are busy with their own activities, and the women, who are able to achieve better results with this collaborative male effort.
Overall, the income status of the households in the project villages have increased, which has benefit for all, old and young, through increased food security, levels of nutrition and increased wealth. At the same time there is often an increased uptake in education due to the stimulation of interest among the women to learn more about husbandry and market gardening. The project continues to be a success and is now incorporating a larger network of villages. It is hoped that the lessons learned so well in Gambia could, in time, be applied elsewhere in Africa.
For further information contact:
FAO Animal Production and Health Division
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
Fax: + 39 6 5225 5749
 
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