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Objectives
The project resulted from the January 1992 merging of the
National Small Ruminants Programme (PNPR), financed by IFAD, and the Development
Project of the Kara Region (PRODEPEKA), financed by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO). It was designed to support the government’s
livestock strategy, which focused on increasing domestic meat consumption,
containing meat imports and improving rural incomes. The project aimed
to increase small livestock production and productivity and strengthen
institutional capacity to provide improved animal health services, extension
services and animal production inputs.
After the mid-term evaluation, the objective of developing
an improved sheep-farming subsector was cancelled and the project was
reoriented towards assisting small producers by targeting their requirements.
Activities
Project activities included:
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animal health;
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extension;
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adaptive research; and
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institutional strengthening.
Outcome
Serious socio-economic disorders resulted in an unlimited
general strike between November 1992 and August 1993, which caused paralysis
of public services and banking and affected project execution during the
early stages. There were several suspensions of disbursements by IFAD
at this time because of failures by Togo to respect loan repayment dates.
Project reformulation was initiated after the mid-term review.
Important changes were introduced, such as a participatory approach to
project implementation and more grass-roots activities oriented towards
the target group, from which small farmers, including women, have benefited.
The original focus on improving small ruminants was widened to include
pigs and poultry. The Aides Ciblées Complémentaires
de l’Apport Personnel (ACCAP) programme was introduced, and
was successful in responding to financing needs and increasing rural incomes.
Improved animal health coverage included vaccination of
poultry and small ruminants and establishment of village pharmacies supplied
by private veterinarians; the impact of this was widely felt in communities
targeted by the project – 300 villages out of 4 700 nationally.
However, incomplete enactment of the legal framework for privatization
of veterinary services precluded wider success. The initiative taken to
assist in eradicating an outbreak of African swine fever contributed to
preventing a disaster that would have had a negative impact on the livelihoods
of smallholder farmers, women in particular, as occurred in Benin and
Nigeria. The institutional capacity of public services and producer organizations
benefited from training and study tours.
Organizations
and people
| Institutional
strengthening has been identified by the Government as a primary
means of achieving its three objectives for development of the agricultural
sector:
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increase aggregate food output to keep up with population growth;
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expand crop production and foreign exchange earnings; and
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increase farmers’ incomes.
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| Planned |
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Achieved |
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To provide management training and strengthen extension services
to support rural groups.
To train project agents.
To purchase vehicles and equipment, and build project offices and
a training centre.
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207 rural groups were created, 49
of which were composed of women; 169 groups already existed. Training
sessions were organized for farmers (2 052 person days in total).
Study tours for farmers’ groups to neighbouring countries
were also organized.
After the mid-term review, extension and training
services were provided to beneficiaries by 60 counsellors.
Equipment and vehicles were purchased; project offices
and training facilities were completed.
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Risk
management
Access to credit has always been a constraint
for smallholder farmers wanting to improve productivity. The only
means of obtaining credit for livestock and agricultural activities
was through the Caisse National de Crédit Agricole (CNCA).
Credit was not tailored to small farmers’ needs, however,
because collateral such as regular income or durable goods was required. |
Planned |
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Achieved |
To provide medium-term credit to finance
farm investments, including building materials and complementary
foundation stock of up to 30 breeding females and 2 males to reduce
the flock-building period.
To provide short-term credit to finance supplementary
feed and health treatment in the first 18 months.
To provide animal health and production inputs under
ACCAP.
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During the first four years, it was
not possible to identify a local financial structure to manage microcredit
activities. Medium- and short-term credit components were therefore
suspended after the mid-term evaluation and replaced by ACCAP.
Under the ACCAP initiative, microprojects such as
fencing and improvement of animal sheds were undertaken, especially
by women.
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Livestock
feeding
There
is considerable untapped grazing potential in Togo, though availability
varies among regions depending on the density of human and animal
populations. In the Savannah region, where livestock density is
the highest, the small ruminant population could be doubled. It
could be quadrupled in Kara, increased ten-fold in the Plateaux,
fifteen-fold in the Maritime region and twenty-fold in the central
region.
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| Planned |
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Achieved |
To
carry out research activities to:
examine complementary feeding possibilities, including establishment
of fodder-tree plots, cultivated fallow and alley cropping.
Develop integrated goat production systems using supplementary feeding
and low-cost fencing.
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Research was carried out into integrated agro-forestry/livestock
production systems and utilization of fodder trees and live fencing
to improve livestock husbandry and nutrition in traditional systems,
and utilization of by-products for the nutrition of animals, particularly
pigs. |
Animal
husbandry
Low productivity and poor husbandry
and animal health are the major problems limiting production of
small ruminants in Togo. Sheep are Djallonke breed; goats are Guinean
Dwarf breed. Significant improvements in terms of size and conformation
of local breeds by selection were demonstrated at the Kolokopé
research station under the PNPR and PROPEKA projects. |
| Planned |
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Achieved |
To provide specialist technical advice and credit
for improved sheep development; and to promote the improved sheep-farming
model developed under the PNPR and PROPEKA projects.
To provide regular livestock husbandry advice on
hygiene and feeding, with an emphasis on supplementary rations for
the rainy season.
To carry out research on improvement of Djallonke
sheep and Guinean goats through genetic selection and importation
of breeding materials at the breeding centre in Kolokopé,
and on development of small-animal production systems. Poultry and
swine production were added after the mid-term review.
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Establishment of improved sheep farms was abandoned
at the mid-term review.
The livestock husbandry and breeding technology package
was successfully developed.
Approximately 70 scientific papers were published.
A goat herd was established at Kolokopé. Production performance
of selected Djallonke rams and sheep was excellent; auctions were
organized to distribute animals to farmers. Genetic selection of
sheep was implemented in collaboration with 20 sheep producers;
400 improved rams breeding with some 20 000 ewes carried a genetic
improvement of 15% in live-weight. Sales of improved rams generated
income and contributed to increases in mutton production.
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Animal
health
The main health hazards are small ruminants
pest (SRP), pneumonia-type diseases, pasteurellosis and internal
and external parasites. SRP is endemic throughout the country and
affects sheep and goats. Mortality rates for small ruminants are
about 35-40%, reaching 50-60% in young animals. These high levels
are the result of bad health conditions and poor traditional husbandry
practices. |
| Planned |
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Achieved |
To implement a national annual health campaign,
to be carried out by the livestock service, to vaccinate small ruminants
against SRP and treat internal parasites.
To vaccinate poultry against Newcastle disease (added
after the mid-term review).
To establish village pharmacies for veterinary products.
To train village animal health assistants.
To purchase veterinary equipment and strengthen extension
services to assist livestock farmers in using medicines and feeding
complements.
To reduce animal mortality rates:
(i) from 16% to 14% for adult sheep and goats;
(ii) from 50% to 38% for lambs; and
(iii) from 66% to 40% for kids.
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Vaccination campaigns carried out by the livestock
service achieved poor results. From 1993, the vaccination campaign
against SRP was coordinated by the project and carried out by private
veterinarians, government agents and village animal health assistants.
In 1996, 270 000 vaccinations were carried out.
Vaccination against Newcastle disease was carried
out by animal health assistants in association with private vets.
In 1996, about 600 000 vaccinations were carried out in 669 villages,
with cost recovery of 100%. Reduced mortality resulting from vaccination
allowed increased production of poultry meat, with benefits for
food security and income generation.
225 village pharmacies were established. Village
animal health assistants administered veterinary products, supervised
by village committees.
906 village animal health assistants were trained,
of whom 600 were operational at project evaluation.
The project was effective in helping control the
outbreak of African swine fever on the border with Benin.
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Lessons learned
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Assessment of beneficiaries’ needs and targeting of activities
depends on study of the role of livestock in the context of agricultural
production prior to project appraisal. Pig farming in Togo, for example,
is an important source of additional income, principally benefiting
rural women. It is a significant activity in non-Islamic countries in
West Africa, a fact that has not always been recognized by development
agencies.
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Projects that intend to promote privatization of veterinary services
should include government commitment to enact a legal framework authorizing
the operation of private veterinarians and village animal health assistants.
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Study tours for farmers’ groups may be an effective way of promoting
and disseminating improved technologies to complement extension activities.
National small ruminants programme
sheep production model
The PNPR developed a farm system for semi-intensive sheep
production. At full development, a typical herd consists of 100-110 animals,
including 50 breeding ewes. Investment includes building an enclosure
for night shelter and feeding troughs. Animals graze in the vicinity of
their farms, closely guarded during the crop season; they receive supplementary
feed such as foliage or cottonseed. Farmers are encouraged to plant a
plot of fodder trees. Animals are vaccinated against SRP and are treated
for internal and external parasites.
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| Project information |
Total cost: USD 11.8 million. Livestock cost (as percentage
of total): 100%
Duration: The project started in March 1990. The initial
closing date of April 1994 was changed to April 1997 after the mid-term
review, following the new approach and the amendment to the loan agreement.
A further year was added to allow project activities to be transferred
to national institutions. The project closed in April 1998.
Area: The project area covered the five administrative regions
of Savannah, Centrale, Plateaux, Maritime and Kara, comprising the entire
national territory.
Beneficiaries: At
appraisal, the target group consisted of about 300 smallholder farmers
with holdings of approximately 2 ha and flocks averaging seven ewes, equivalent
to 0.5 units of cattle. After the mid-term review, however, training and
other project activities were extended to a wider population distributed
among 300 rural communities, accounting for 6% of the rural population.
Improved animal health and husbandry were intended to benefit the economic
situation of women, since they have the major responsibility for tending
small ruminants. |
| References |
Appraisal Report, October 1987.
Report and Recommendations of the President to the Executive Board,
December 1987.
Formulation Report, March 1987.
Rapport Bilan des activités du PNPE, February 1994 (presented
at the mid-term evaluation).
Rapport de la Mission de Revue a Mi-parcours, March 1994.
Rapport de Fin d’Exécution, October 1998. |
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