Goats are a good bet for “the poorest of the poor”, IFAD says
18/04/2018
In comments he made in the build-up to the event, Mr Rota said development of the livestock sector for the world’s poorest farmers often means working in a pastoralist environment (moving with the animals from place to place to find grazing land) or being a dairy farmer with between one and three cows. But he said developing smaller animals, especially goats, is a particularly good option for “the poorest of the poor” because little input is required.
He said: “The goat is an excellent investment and particularly suitable to raise at the household level. Goats produce leather, milk, fibre, and most of all, they are a source of meat. Goat meat is nutritious, tasty and valuable.”
Mr Rota went on to point out that India has the second-largest goat population in the world (135 million head is the most recent figure the Indian government has published), after China. Thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, IFAD has been able to carry out a detailed study of the goat-farming sector in three Indian states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha.
IFAD’s conclusion from this study is that it can have an impact on poverty reduction in areas such as these because it can demonstrate that local people can double their income by improving goat production. Mr Rota said IFAD intends also to play a part in upgrading existing value chains that connect producers of goat meat and its by-products, financial institutions and import-export companies in India and neighbouring countries.
“There are various parties that are ready to invest,” he said. “We would like to help producers and interested parties to come together and create the kinds of lasting partnerships that support goat producers and allow them to access the untapped market as equal partners.”
Image: IFAD
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