Livestock Cooperatives Development Project in the Central-Eastern Region

PRODEGAN seeks to benefit 11,500 rural families in the province of Camagüey, most of whom live in the municipalities of Camagüey, Guaímaro, Jimaguayú and Sibanicú. These families belong to or have links with the livestock sector, which was once flourishing in the area but has been declining since the 1990s due to lack of investments.

The project aims to promote the sustainable growth of the livestock sector by increasing the production and sale of milk and meat. Increased deliveries of milk and increased sales of beef are expected to result in higher average net incomes for the members of the 105 cooperatives participating in the project and in greater employment opportunities for wage-earning rural workers and technicians who work as service providers for the livestock cooperatives and in the related agro-industrial processing facilities.

These objectives will be achieved by implementing cooperative development plans and services to increase these organizations' production and sales of milk and meat in a sustainable manner. The project will also improve their managerial and organizational capacities, with special emphasis on the empowerment of women and young people.

Strengthening these livestock cooperatives is expected to create a "virtuous circle" resulting in benefits for the entire economy of Camagüey's rural areas. Beyond the cooperatives, service providers will be able to substantially improve the frequency and quality of their services, including technical assistance, and the capacity to transport and process milk and meat products will be strengthened.