Multi-functionality of livestock helps develop dairy production in Indonesia
Résumé
A Foundation related to a large dairy multinational, in partnership with a local NGO and a cooperative of milk famers, implemented a dairy project in Ciater, Lembang district, West Java, Indonesia, in order to improve the livelihoods of smallholders willing to engage into or increase their dairy production. The project provided selected households with dairy cows, improved the feeding system within the farmers barns, the milking, etc. The study results show that at the farmer level the project translated into a significant increase of the herd size, especially through the increase in the number of lactating cows. Although no significant impact on revenues could be detected at the farmer level, the perception of the project by the farmers was generally very positive with an overwhelming 91% of the farmers stating that their situation had improved through the project. The multi-functionality of dairy production was a very important factor of success. As expected by the project and according to local stakeholders, most dairy families saw an improvement in their livelihoods, mainly due to higher dairy incomes. At the same time, the integration between crop and livestock activities allowed, on the one hand to use the manure of the dairy cows for the cropping system and, on the other hand to better valorize the byproducts of the cropping system, especially the crop residues (e.g., straw of grains, leaves of cash crops, etc.), diverse weeds and other forages growing between the irrigated plots and on common lands. Moreover, at the farm level, dairy production provided full or part-time jobs to one or two adults, even with a number of dairy cows not exceeding 3-4 heads. Trained by the dairy project, the new and experienced dairy farmers could apply their skills in other areas, e.g., to improve the quality of the products. Moreover, in the same time to be a significant investment, dairy cattle is an excellent saving for the farmers’ families. Finally, local stakeholders mentioned the attractiveness of milking activities for the de development local tourism.
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