Goat Milk?

Tanzania is a semi-arid climate, and the Village of Hedaru sits in the shadow of a mountain range, which leaves it even more dry than most of the areas surrounding it.  This presents some real problems for the farmers who grow the food that feeds the local population.  One thing that is severely lacking in this area is dairy.  It takes approximately 40 litres of water per day to keep a Tanzanian cow producing only 5-10 litres of milk, so the poor cows are in direct competition with the humans for the scarce water supply....hence the lack of dairy products.

Enter, the goat!

Goats are by nature more suited to this area than cows.  They eat ANYTHING, they take very little water, and by comparison, produce a lot of extremely rich, high-fat milk, which is highly valued in an area of food insecurity and malnutrition.  One of goat milk's most important uses is as baby "formula" for women with HIV who cannot nurse.  Infant Formula, as used in the west, is expensive and not highly available, so goat milk is a fabulous substitute.  Goat milk is also a tremendous source of protein for malnourished children, and can be made into cheese and yogurt, which are easier to store in non-refrigerated areas.  Goats produce 2-3 offspring per pregnancy, and typically they can be bred twice a year.  All of these things make the goat the perfect dairy animal in the Hedaru area.

Heifer International has a very large and effective program in Tanzania, and their methods of teaching goat farming are more than a little impressive!

• After determining who is going to be the supervising organization in the village, in our case it will be the church, a delegation of local villagers goes to Arusha for orientation to learn what the program is about. (we did this last year)
• Ten farmers are chosen to be the initial recipients of the first goats. (our farmers are chosen)
• The farmers go to training at the beginning of the process, and learn about Heifer's methods and how to prepare for his/her animal. (this is our next step)
• The farmers then goes home, where each of them plants the appropriate grasses for feed, and builds a pen for his/her goats.
• When the farmers are ready, Heifer inspects their farms, and then gives each farmer one pregnant goat.

Note: This is where much of St. Andrew's involvement over the next year will be.  We will assist in financing the initial training, the purchase of any seed necessary to get the grasses planted, and the purchase of the first goats.  We are currently checking into exact costs, but we estimate $2,000 or less total.  What a small investment for a HUGE return!

• The first baby that is born to each goat is given back to Heifer.
• The second baby that is born is kept by the farmer.
• The third baby that is born is given to another local farmer to start a new Heifer farm.
• All subsequent babies are the property of the farmer to grow his/her herd.

WE PRAY FOR TRIPLETS!!

What makes Heifer Goat Farming different than raising the indigenous goats that already exist in large herds in Tanzania?

1. Heifer Dairy Goats are a much higher quality breed than Tanzanian goats, and produce more milk.
2. Heifer Dairy Goats are not free-range grazed, so they do not contribute to environmental degredation.  They are kept in pens made of sticks, and have a small outdoor area to play and exercise.  All their food is grown by the farmer and brought to them each day.
3. Heifer includes peer to peer training for all new farmers, and support groups and meetings for the Heifer participants to develop strong farming practices together.
4. Heifer Dairy Goats must have regular veterinary care.

In addition to the goats, which will vastly improve quality of life in Hedaru, Heifer does something else that we find amazing.  They teach their farmers to recycle everything...manure, silage from the grasses they grow, water...all of it.  These things are used to make mulch, which they are then taught to use for growing better crops, right there in their little home garden.  The money from selling the milk allows the farmer to buy more animals, and most Heifer farmers have very diverse farms that include a number of different kinds of plants and trees that produce food for their animals as well as their own human families, and anything from cows to rabbits, chickens, ducks, pigs & camels.  We've even seen one farm that had 8 cows producing enough methane for them to capture and use for cooking instead of the wood fires!! The more animals they have, the more manure, and the more plants they can grow.  It's a wonderful green productive vicious cycle!

The real shock for us is that they typically do all of this on less than two acres of land.  When done correctly with a strong emphasis on developing that local peer to peer training, one group of 10 farmers can quickly become 200 farmers, with cash income, the ability to school their children, and money for a village to construct schools and other infrastructure they need so much.  We have seen examples of Heifer Farming Projects that completely transformed an entire village in less than 5 years....all because of 10 goats!!

We are very blessed at St. Andrew's to have several veterinarians in our congregation, as well as one person, Sheri Rathje, who has been a Heifer Coordinator in another town.  Sheri Rathje has agreed to head up this program, which from OUR end, will include getting the funds for the goats and seed, but more importantly, encouraging to peer to peer training and education and helping them vision the possibilities with a very successful program.

Heifer is not always successful.

Why?

Because the follow up is not always strong, and the whole process requires a lot of organization the initiative that is not always present.  Our future supporting role in the program in the form of encouragement and accountability for follow up cannot be over-emphasized.

Check back here for updates, and we will try to keep you abreast of any progress we are making.  We are more than a little excited about the potential of this program!