4 minute read
Changing lives in Africa
A programme of the RJA&HS is supporting developing dairy industries around the world and also improving standards of living in poor rural areas of Africa. By Cathy Le Feuvre
The Jersey cow is an important and historic symbol of our Island, appreciated for her beauty, calm nature and high-quality milk.
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But what many who regularly enjoy the sight of the small, placid brown cow in our landscape may not realise is that the Jersey is now the second most popular breed of dairy cow globally. It can be found in over 100 countries, either as pure or cross breeds.
Jersey cattle are increasingly important to smallholder dairy farmers in Africa where native cows are often bred with Jersey genetics to improve the stock and produce more nutrientrich milk. Sales help to increase family incomes, enhance standards of living and give children a better future. The Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society’s Dairy for Development programmes support developing dairy industries around the world and are currently leading three projects in Rwanda, Malawi and Ethiopia, funded by Jersey Overseas Aid.
Through partnerships with other agencies, they provide Jersey Island genetics, mainly through frozen bull semen. They also deliver training for farmers and dairy agencies, to help improve not just the quality of cattle and production yields, but also the management of herds, including health care, animal welfare and reducing the climate impact of farm systems. One partner is a charity called UdderWise, which was set up in 2015 by Peter Edmondson, a UK-based Irish dairy vet who has specialised for the past 40 years in mastitis and milk quality. With vast experience of dairying across the world and three books on mastitis, Peter regularly speaks at international conferences. When he visited Jersey in September, he led an engaging evening for members of the Jersey farming and JOA community, as well as leading politicians.
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Peter painted a vivid picture of rural Malawi in south-eastern Africa, a place where ‘life revolves around the next meal’, where ‘about 50% of children have cognitive disorders because of malnutrition’, where there’s little, unreliable or no electricity supplies, and where limited farmland must be used to grow food rather than pasture.
While we’re used to seeing cows in the fields, in Malawi cattle are usually held in a small ‘khola’, often a crude structure used for housing, feeding, milking as well as the rearing of calves.
‘There are about 12,000 dairy farmers in Malawi, with an average herd size of one. The cows are kept in because if they go out into the countryside there’s the danger of ticks. Tick-borne disease is a big problem in Africa, or the cows could get stolen or eaten,’ Peter explained. ‘If you’ve got a cow in Malawi that’s an opportunity to get out of poverty, but it’s not easy! Food is one of the biggest problems. Grass is very dependent on the time of the year - in the rainy season from November to March there’s lots of grass, but from then on everything goes downhill and you have to go further to get it, often walking miles a day just to gather rough grass.
‘Also, a cow may drink in the order of 50 litres or more of water a day and in the hot season when it’s really humid that increases. People have to wash the cow, clean all the milking utensils and the supply of water might be a mile away or more. Between forage and water, you’re probably looking at two people’s job for the day - for one cow!’
To help farmers survive and thrive in such difficult conditions, a central feature of the ethos of charities like UdderWise is ongoing training and education.
Peter during training with the Malawi dairy team. Take their work with five project officers and 32 livestock technicians connected to Malawi’s 23 Milk Bulking Centres. Unless they’re fortunate enough to have a bicycle, most producers walk miles to deliver milk twice daily to these central collection centres.
In remote areas where vets barely exist and medicines are in short supply, animal management is vital, as are breeding programmes. Farmers have a choice between bulls and Artificial Insemination and ensuring that AI is delivered effectively is a key challenge.
‘There are many reasons why you dairy, but one is to try and improve the nutrition of kids, to overcome the malnutrition problems and get them set up and going in life,’ Peter said.
And it’s through working in partnership with Dairy for Development at the RJA&HS and the JOA, that charities like UdderWise are changing the lives of farmers and their families across countries like Malawi.
Read future editions of RURAL to learn more about Dairy for Development.
More information about the Dairy for Development work that the RJA&HS are involved in can be found at
