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The Role and Contribution of Livestock Development Activities
Despite the importance of livestock in the study area, projects have made a disproportionately small contribution towards livestock development except for two major livestock interventions in Sudan. Small ruminants have been almost totally neglected.
In Sudan, two projects (155-SU, 181-SU), provided additional stock watering points which facilitated the movement of stock towards markets and demonstrated a potential to reduce environmental degradation by widening the potential range for grazing. Wateryards, provided adequate mechanisms for their sustainability can be devised, represent a valid future intervention.
The design and subsequent local manufacture of donkey plough is an outstanding project (181-SU) achievement, which is having a widespread impact.
Despite considerable opposition, a project (181-SU) in Sudan established 15 private veterinary practices. This precedent represents a major achievement with potential to lessen pressure on the government’s limited capacity to provide all livestock services.
With the trend to privatising government services, project activities aimed at strengthening and expanding government livestock enterprises became redundant in Egypt (114-EG, 157-EG). Interventions supporting animal health services and artificial insemination, while increasing the ability of government services, will only have a temporary effect unless the "user pays" principle is fully enforced.
The fact that small livestock, although important are often perceived by farmers as merely convenient adjuncts to cropping, which require few inputs and little attention, may have influenced project designers’ attitudes. Livestock deserve more attention as their potential to add to the income of farmers is not being adequately exploited.
Wateryards, which are relatively cheap to construct, are a means of widening the potential area for grazing and cropping. Both from the point of view of decreasing environmental damage and increasing access to cropping land, a spread in the network of wateryards in Sudan should be encouraged.
The spread of private veterinary practices should, in principle, be encouraged with care taken both by government and donors to avoid unfair competition by government services.
More attention should be focused on improving nutrition, particularly during season shortages, through the better use of crop residues, better forage species and fodder conservation.
More attention to obtaining better genetic material particularly from areas with similar environment, is justified.
The medium to long-term sustainability of virtually all livestock interventions involving infrastructure will be dependent on adequate maintenance and repairs to facilities. Project design should incorporate a "beneficiary pays" concept, in the interests of sustainability which only allows for direct government financial assistance at very low levels, if at all.
References:
1. Egypt - Minya Agricultural Development Project,114-EG R114EGBE, Interim Evaluation, 1992.
2. Egypt - Fayoum Agricultural Development Project,157-EG R157EGBE, Interim Evaluation, 1992.
3. Sudan - Country Portfolio Evaluation, CPE94 CESSU94E IFAD 1992.
4. Sudan - Stock Route, 155-SU, IFAD, 1984.
5. Sudan - Western Savannah Project - phase II, 181-SU R181SUAE,Mid Term Evaluation, 1988.
6. Yemen - Country Portfolio Evaluation, CPE92 CESYE92E IFAD 1992.
