- Increase the incomes and living standards of small farmers and of a number of medium-sized farmers in the project areas;
- improve the beneficiaries’ nutritional level;
- increase food production and productivity;
- improve the national balance of payments situation through increased production of basic grains, livestock products and some products meant for export; and
- strengthen institutional capacity to generate and transfer agricultural technology.
Project activities were to include:
- generation of agricultural technology;
- transfer of crop production technology;
- transfer of livestock technology; and
- certified seed production and distribution.
Outcome
The project successfully developed an integrated institutional framework for agricultural research and extension. The institutions comprising this framework have an explicit interest in the small farmers and poor rural households. The resources provided by the project contributed to the development of both 'hardware' (buildings, vehicles, laboratories) and 'software' (methodology, training).
The livestock component, which accounted for only a small proportion of the project’s resources, was effective in going beyond the traditional animal health focus of the livestock extension services (see Tables 1-3). However, according to the appraisal report, most of the component's beneficiaries did not correspond to IFAD’s target group.
| The need to increase food production in Guatemala and improve the living standards of most of the rural population engaged in traditional agriculture encouraged specialized governmental institutions to engage in agricultural research and led to the development of higher-yield technology. However, the technology thus transferred and basic inputs did not reach the poor farmers. |
||
| Planned |
Achieved |
|
| Train 45 professionals at the Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (ICTA) over four years. Some would receive short-term training in livestock production and others would be trained to post-graduate level in animal husbandry. Transfer to 560 small and medium-sized livestock farmers located on the south coast of the country a technology package from ICTA for the improvement of dual-purpose bovine enterprises, which was proved to be a viable alternative for increasing production and productivity coefficients. Farmers were to be involved by actively participating in trials and experiments carried out on their farms. Strengthen the General Directorate for Livestock Services to enable it to be more active in the technology transfer programme; reinforce the Nueva Conception Centre and create three new centres in areas with similar ecological conditions in order to test and transfer the technology generated at Nueva Conception. |
No information is currently available on the implementation of this component. Farmers were provided with training in appropriate livestock production facilities such as milking parlours, silage trenches, paddock and fencing systems and watering systems. The technology transfer was successfully carried out (see Table 2). No information is currently available on the implementation of this component. |
|
| Planned |
Achieved |
|
| Improve the nutritional regime of cattle herds by implementing a new production model (see Table 4). |
From a model based on a mixture of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala), cattle were moved on to a variety of different diets according to category, season, location and size of farm. Sugar cane, silage, salt, urea and protein banks were successfully introduced (see Table 1). |
| Planned |
Achieved |
|
| Reduce the calving interval and extend the maximum period of lactation of cattle herds by improving herd management and genetics in accordance with the new production model. |
The project contributed to moving from a production model based on crosses between Brahman and Brown Swiss cattle, with a high percentage of the former, to a model in which the Brown Swiss was predominant. Calving intervals were reduced and milk production increased (see Table 2). |
| Planned |
|
Achieved |
| Improve animal health in the cattle herd by implementing the new production model. |
A programme for herd prophylaxis, consisting of vaccination and internal and external parasite treatments, was successfully implemented (see Table 1). |
- Research and extension can be integrated by establishing two critical links: (1) between extensionists and farmers, through agricultural representatives (local farmers contracted on a part-time basis and paid half the minimum wage); and (2) between research and extension, implemented through joint planning and on-farm trials with the participation of farmers and research and extension workers.
- The research and testing of technology should place priority on adaptive research based on an adequate number of trials on farmers’ fields, with the direct participation of the beneficiaries and the extension agents.
- There should be a continuous process of interactive training of both extensionists and farmers during the development phase and introduction of new technology. As this system would enable the beneficiaries to communicate their problems to both extension agents and researchers and obtain support by means of the new packages, it would eventually form the nucleus of a client-oriented agricultural extension and research system.
- It is essential that agricultural representatives be involved in execution of project activities so as to improve links between technical staff and the communities until such time as the beneficiaries are in a position to express their demands and needs directly through their organizations.
- The cumbersome international procurement procedure should be made more flexible to meet the needs of rural development projects.
- The M&E system should be designed in such a way as to be able to closely monitor physical achievements and financial performance and provide timely feedback to project management for necessary remedial action.
Additional sources of information (e.g. websites):
In the Nueva Conception region, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) made a comparison between the situation (in terms of technology) of livestock farmers who received TA and those who did not. The farmers assisted by the project always had a higher technological level in all components reviewed; in particular, in terms of rotational pasture, fertilization of pasture, silage use, Napier grass and Leucaena use, external parasite treatments and vitamin and mineral salt supplements.
Table 1. Technology adoption and impact in cattle farms under the project and other cattle farms of the Nueva Conception region (IICA)
| Technology |
Producers assisted under the project |
Other Producers |
Difference |
| Number of producers interviewed |
28 |
9 |
|
| 1. Pasture (%) |
|||
| Rotational pasture |
67 |
100 |
+ 33 |
| Pasture fertilization |
6 |
22 |
+ 16 |
| 2. Cattle feeding in dry period (%) |
|||
| Use of sugarcane |
40 |
56 |
+ 16 |
| Silage |
0 |
44 |
+ 44 |
| Use of Napier grass |
0 |
33 |
+ 33 |
| Use of Leucaena |
0 |
11 |
+ 11 |
| 3. Animal health (%) |
|||
| External parasite treatment |
70 |
100 |
+ 30 |
| Internal parasite treatment |
100 |
100 |
+ 0 |
| Vaccination |
75 |
100 |
+ 25 |
| Vitamin supplement |
23 |
33 |
+ 10 |
| Mineral salt supplement |
0 |
44 |
+ 44 |
In another study, carried out by the M&E Department of the Sector Unit for Agriculture and Livestock Planning (USPADA) on 83 producers who had received the livestock technology, the impact was evaluated and expected increased production measured. A substantial increase was observed in terms of yield. The number of animals and the average production of milk per cow increased.
Table 2: Evaluation of the livestock technology transfer subcomponent
| Variable |
Before Project |
Target |
PY 4 |
| Age at first calving (months) |
40 |
24 |
33 |
| Birth rate (%) |
53 |
70.7 |
90 |
| Mortality rate – calves (%) |
11 |
3 |
2 |
| Mortality rate – adult animals (%) |
5 |
2 |
1 |
| Calving interval (months) |
18 |
13.6 |
13 |
| Cows in production (%) |
49 |
65 |
54 |
| Milking (days) |
190 |
250 |
232 |
| Milk production (l/cow/day) |
2.8 |
4 |
4.6 |
| Carrying capacity (adults/ha) |
2 |
4 |
4.6 |
| Culling rate (?) |
5 |
14 |
15 |
In addition, IICA evaluated milk yield data on dairy farms that received TA under the project and those that did not. There was a difference of 7 700 litres of milk as a result of the increase in animals per hectare and high production per cow in both the dry and the wet season.
Table 3. Milk Production on Farms Under the Project and on Other Farms (IICA)
| Production variable |
Producers assisted under the project |
Other Producers |
Difference |
| Number of producers interviewed |
28 |
9 |
|
| Milk (litres)/farm/year |
9 698 |
17 358 |
7 660 |
| Milk (litres)/hectare/year |
1 286 |
1 819 |
533 |
| Milk (litres)/cow/day (dry season) |
2.7 |
3.0 |
0.3 |
| Milk (litres)/cow/ day (wet season) |
3.3 |
3.9 |
0.6 |
Table 4. Changes in Diet Introduced by the Project.
| Before the Project |
After the Project |
| Animal feeding system in the dry season |
|
| Diet based on a mixture of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) |
Parcels with residual humidity and cows with low production potential |
| Dry cows and heifers: diet based on sugarcane, Leucaena hay integrated with urea and mineral salt |
|
| Weaned calves and steers: diet based on sugarcane integrated with urea and mineral salt. |
|
| Parcels without residual humidity and cows with high production potential |
|
| Dry cows and heifers: Napier grass silage and molasses integrated with salt and urea; sorghum silage integrated with urea and mineral salt. |
|
| Weaned calves and steers: diet based on sorghum, Leucaena hay and mineral salt; sorghum silage, mulberry forage and mineral salt; maize silage, Leucaena hay and mineral salt |
|
| Small parcels |
|
| Cows in production, heifers and steers: diet based on maize or sorghum by-products integrated with urea and mineral salt |
|
| Animal feeding system in the rainy season |
|
| Rotational pasture and fertilization using African star and Angleton. The pasture under rotation was occupied for three days with a 21-day interval, in accordance with the following modules: |
Montufar area: Rotational pastures with jaragua (Hyparrenia rufa). ICTA REAL grass (a selected variety of Andropogon gayanus CIAT 621). The interval between grazing was from 35 to 49 days. |
| Other areas characterized by dry parcels and residual humidity: African star pasture with four days of occupation and a 21-day interval. |
|
| Other areas characterized by small parcels with residual humidity: Napier grass associated with kudzu. |
|
|
|
