ILO and AFDB target small-scale dairy farmers in Umguza
The Umguza Dairy Hub, when fully operational, holds the potential of transforming the lives and livelihoods of the targeted young people. It will give them new hope and new purpose for their community and for the future.
29 January 2024
© Fiorente A. / ILO
ILO News (Umguza, Bulawayo) The ILO, the African Development Bank, the Government of Zimbabwe and the private sector are collaborating to set up a milk collection centre in Umguza. As dairy farming constitutes a key element of the rural economy of the country the Project has identified the dairy value chain as one of the promising sub-sectors that holds high potential for inclusive growth and economic empowerment.
The Umguza Diary Hub (UDH), a typical ‘hub and spoke’ model, is strategically located for ease of access by the targeted young dairy farmers. When fully operational, the Centre will serve multiple functions as a market, an incubation hub, an artificial insemination centre and will depend on a network of small-scale dairy farmers to supply it daily with a steady flow of milk. A transparent system of milk purchasing and payments will be introduced to foster trust and accountability between the Dairy Hub and the milk producers.
The low milk yields experienced in the smallholder sector countrywide is partially due to low yielding cattle breeds, seasonality in the availability of quality and adequate feed.
The intervention is therefore designed to not only integrate small-scale farmers within the dairy value chain but to also serve to increase and upgrade the sector’s contribution to the country’s overall dairy production. Through the introduction of new breeds, building of capacities in milk-handling and processing practices, this will enhance the quality of the milk and influence diversification of the dairy products. This multi-level approach will require engaging other actors within the sector for support.
The Zimbabwean dairy industry has been worryingly underperforming as evidenced by a reduction in the national milk yield from 262 million litres in 1990, to below37 million litres in 2009. Since 2021 there has seen a steady but slow increase to 82 million litres. The current national demand for milk stands at 130 million litres, whilst the country’s capacity to process milk is around 400 million litres per annum.
“Dairy farming has the potential to provide income opportunities and high-quality nutrition and enable the farmers to make some financial savings to buy livestock from the extra cash. The livestock becomes a handy asset that can always be sold off when need be, and cattle in particular, are the mainstay of draught power for agriculture and transportation in our community, a source of organic fertilizer for our crops and vegetables – a whole value and supply chain,” said Catherine Methembe, in an interview.
Methembe added that women in the area had taken a leading role in participating in the rollout of the dairy project.
Another youth, Nqobizitha Ncube, stated that young people in the area were now motivated to venture into dairy farming, which should help in removing them from illicit activities which has been mainly a result of the absence of opportunities. The Projecy may also stop them from ’crossing’ (colloquial for border jumping to South Africa or Botswana where there are imagined greener pastures).
Meeting the current deficits in milk through local production instead of imports presents an opportunity to improve the welfare of producers and support sectors, in addition, contributing to skills diversification and generating employment along the value chain. The Project will provide relevant technical support, the necessary business management and advisory services to develop the capacities of the young dairy farmers. It will also facilitate the provision of tailored vocational and technical training to promote decent work targeted at young people in Umguza.
Funded by the African Development Bank, the Sustainable Enterprise Development for Women and Youth (SEDWAY) project aims to harness the potential of youth and women by addressing their capacity gaps and creating an enabling environment to stimulate productivity and value addition along several value chains. This in turn improves the creation of decent jobs for the many skilled and semi-skilled youth and women.
The Umguza Diary Hub (UDH), a typical ‘hub and spoke’ model, is strategically located for ease of access by the targeted young dairy farmers. When fully operational, the Centre will serve multiple functions as a market, an incubation hub, an artificial insemination centre and will depend on a network of small-scale dairy farmers to supply it daily with a steady flow of milk. A transparent system of milk purchasing and payments will be introduced to foster trust and accountability between the Dairy Hub and the milk producers.
The low milk yields experienced in the smallholder sector countrywide is partially due to low yielding cattle breeds, seasonality in the availability of quality and adequate feed.
The intervention is therefore designed to not only integrate small-scale farmers within the dairy value chain but to also serve to increase and upgrade the sector’s contribution to the country’s overall dairy production. Through the introduction of new breeds, building of capacities in milk-handling and processing practices, this will enhance the quality of the milk and influence diversification of the dairy products. This multi-level approach will require engaging other actors within the sector for support.
The Zimbabwean dairy industry has been worryingly underperforming as evidenced by a reduction in the national milk yield from 262 million litres in 1990, to below37 million litres in 2009. Since 2021 there has seen a steady but slow increase to 82 million litres. The current national demand for milk stands at 130 million litres, whilst the country’s capacity to process milk is around 400 million litres per annum.
“Dairy farming has the potential to provide income opportunities and high-quality nutrition and enable the farmers to make some financial savings to buy livestock from the extra cash. The livestock becomes a handy asset that can always be sold off when need be, and cattle in particular, are the mainstay of draught power for agriculture and transportation in our community, a source of organic fertilizer for our crops and vegetables – a whole value and supply chain,” said Catherine Methembe, in an interview.
Methembe added that women in the area had taken a leading role in participating in the rollout of the dairy project.
Another youth, Nqobizitha Ncube, stated that young people in the area were now motivated to venture into dairy farming, which should help in removing them from illicit activities which has been mainly a result of the absence of opportunities. The Projecy may also stop them from ’crossing’ (colloquial for border jumping to South Africa or Botswana where there are imagined greener pastures).
Meeting the current deficits in milk through local production instead of imports presents an opportunity to improve the welfare of producers and support sectors, in addition, contributing to skills diversification and generating employment along the value chain. The Project will provide relevant technical support, the necessary business management and advisory services to develop the capacities of the young dairy farmers. It will also facilitate the provision of tailored vocational and technical training to promote decent work targeted at young people in Umguza.
Funded by the African Development Bank, the Sustainable Enterprise Development for Women and Youth (SEDWAY) project aims to harness the potential of youth and women by addressing their capacity gaps and creating an enabling environment to stimulate productivity and value addition along several value chains. This in turn improves the creation of decent jobs for the many skilled and semi-skilled youth and women.