Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (Livestock)

Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (Livestock) Programme is a research, training and small business capacity building programme that addresses the basic issues underlying emerging farming systems and SMME Development in product processing and marketing. Its main aim is the improvement of the quality of life of rural and peri-urban communities through improved livestock husbandry and agricultural practices, awareness creation, job-creation through product development, development of appropriate processing and value-adding technologies, training, demonstrations, information, marketing assistance, business planning and implementation. The Programme assists, facilitates and guides the process whereby the emerging farmer and potential processing entrepreneur is serviced with appropriate new or existing technology.

Projects

Information, demonstrations and training

• To determine which information resources are needed by small farmers, rural entrepreneurs, extension officers, NGO's and RPA scientists.
• To repackage relevant existing information into various formats: Cartoons, InfoPaks, Information manuals, video, audio and computer formats.
• To deliver information resources to small farmers, rural entrepreneurs, NGO's, Extension Officers, RPA scientists via telephonic, facsimile, postal or electronic mail channels.
• To create awareness of the potential value-adding possibilities of livestock.
• To create awareness of the assistance that can be provided by the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (Livestock)
• To create awareness of the training courses.
• To train emerging farmers and rural entrepreneurs in Business and Entrepreneurship skills, animal management and animal value-adding techniques.
• To assess the need for and to develop relevant training courses for small farmers and rural entrepreneurs.
• To co-ordinate on-campus and on-site training courses.

For more information:     Contact: Jane Boikhutso Tel: +27 (0) 12 672-9269 Fax: +27 (0) 12 665-1603 E-mail: jane@arc.agric.za Contact: Thomas Langa Tel: +27 (0) 12 672-9224 Fax: +27 (0) 12 665-1603 E-mail: TLanga@arc.agric.za Contact: Annatjie Loubser Tel: +27 (0) 12 672-9153 Fax: +27 (0) 12 665-1563 E-mail: aloubser@arc.agric.za

Market Surveys, Feasibility Studies and Business Plans

To determine the market potential of all products developed by the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (Livestock) using consumer surveys, sensory analyses and local, national and international market surveys.
• To develop business plans for each of the technology packages developed by the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (Livestock) and to assist target beneficiaries and entrepreneurs in the development of their own business plans.
• To assist potential entrepreneurs in determining the feasibility of their enterprises, so that they may be able to motivate for access to finances, land, equipment, loans, donor funding or other assistance in the start-up of their ventures.

For more information: Contact: Jane Boikhutso Tel: +27 (0) 12 672-9269 Fax: +27 (0) 12 665-1603 E-mail: jane@arc.agric.za

Goat Leather Product Development

• Creating awareness in rural communities regarding the correct flaying of an animal as well as the correct skins preservations
• Encouraging rural farmers to collect skins (goats, sheep cattle etc) and store them at the nearest Agricultural department
• Paying cash for each salted skin received
• Training farmers in leather tanning on a small scale
• Market survey to determine the quantity of skins in each area before venturing into business
• Introducing leather crafting after the tanning of skins
• Uplift the lives of poor communities through skins collections, leather tanning as well as crafting
• Set up a small tannery unit in certain areas

For more information: Contact: Jane Boikhutso Tel: +27 (0) 12 672-9269 Fax: +27 (0) 12 665-1603 E-mail: jane@arc.agric.za

Research and Development of Technologies and Manufacturing Processes for Value-addition to Cashmere Fibres.

• To develop and explore traditional knowledge system as a source of sustainable business development
• To compile a list of cashmere producers in South Africa and to develop informal and formal marketing links for this cashmere.
• To develop new products using indigenous cashmere.
• Promote and seek contractual agreement between relevant businesses and the producers
• Expand the capacity of the business and skills development amongst rural people
• Involve farmers as key stake holders within the business

For more information: Contact: Thomas Langa Tel: +27 (0) 12 672-9224 Fax: +27 (0) 12 665-1603 E-mail: TLanga@arc.agric.za

Development of Milk Products for Small-scale Farmers

• To develop marketable milk products utilising indigenous milk, plant and microbial resources.
• To conduct sensory analyses and market surveys on the consumer and market acceptability of these products.
• To demonstrate and train small entrepreneurs in the manufacturing of these products.

For more information: Contact: Jane Boikhutso Tel: +27 (0) 12 672-9269 Fax: +27 (0) 12 665-1603 E-mail: jane@arc.agric.za

Fruit and Vegetable Industry By-products as Feed and Silages

• Collection, analysis (proximate, in vitro, minerals, toxicity) and diet formulation using fruit industry by-products as diet components (avocado oil cake, macadamia dust, guava pips, packing house banana waste), vegetable by-products (cabbage, lettuce, beetroot and pumpkin) and food industry by-products (potato hash) Palatability, intake, digestibility, weight gain and feed efficiency of the above-mentioned potential feed resources.
• Determine whether ensilability of banana, citrus, mango, papaya, sugarcane and other agro-industry by-products improves with innoculation with L. buchneri, whey and molasses.
• Investigate the fermentation dynamics, nutritional value, palatability, intake, digestibility of the above-mentioned silages.
• Demonstrate the production and feeding of the above-mentioned feeds and silages to small farmers in South Africa.
• Train extension officers in these methodologies.

Services of the programme

The philosophy of the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (Livestock) Programme is captured in its motto "FEASIBLE" - Finding Easily Accessible Solutions Involving Businesses for Livestock Entrepreneurs. We also know that many indigenous and alternative livestock species, as well as their raw and processed products, have marketing potential. Many small-scale livestock farmers are totally unaware of these products, and are also unaware that this market potential even exists. It is therefore imperative that they be made aware of these opportunities.

• Information Resource Centre

Appropriate information systems enable rapid dissemination and efficient service delivery to the commercial and small-scale agricultural sector for improving productivity and profitability. These information products include books, pamphlets, info-paks, posters, and full manuals covering a range of topics including Business, Land Reform, Farm Diversification, Gender, animal husbandry (pigs, poultry, beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits) and value-adding to livestock products (milk, meat, leather and fibre). The information officer can service your information needs through fax, telephonically and through the postal service.

• Awareness Creation

It is known that rural livestock producers have limited access to technological information. The Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (Livestock) Programme has found that the most effective way of reaching them is to take the information directly to them in their communities. A variety of demonstrations have been developed which are mobile and demonstrate the processes of producing a value-added product. This "Demonstration and Inspiration Unit" believes that "seeing is believing" and receives enthusiastic feedback from those people who are really interested in utilising their livestock.

• Rural Entrepreneur Product Development and Market Surveys

A severe constraint for the small-scale entrepreneur is access to market and product information. South Africa has only recently joined the international market arena. As such we have much to learn concerning existing markets and diverse products. The Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (Livestock) Programme attempts to provide a product development and market development service to small-scale entrepreneurs. In this way, current and developing markets are investigated, diverse and unique value-added livestock products are investigated and this information is relayed to the entrepreneur. The methodologies of producing the value-added product are investigated, these methodologies are tested using appropriate technologies, and through awareness creation and training courses these processing techniques are relayed to the entrepreneur.

• Feasibility Studies and Business Plans for Rural Entrepreneurs

From this programmes' experience, it has been found that small-scale livestock entrepreneurs need information regarding indigenous and alternative livestock species, the products than can be produced from them and the potential markets for these products. They also need to know how to gain market access, whether or not such a business will be feasible, what equipment would be necessary, what training is available and where, what capital costs are involved and how to obtain finance. Assistance is provided in developing feasibility studies and business plans that plan entire livestock production and value-adding enterprises.

The results of feasibility studies allow communities or entrepreneurs to assess the viability of the business and the inputs necessary for its success. These documents are also used to approach and source potential sponsors. The feasibility study provides enough information to allow a clear perspective of the equipment, training, infra structural, animal resource, nutrition, manpower and capital requirements of the business. With this information a decision can be made to continue with a business plan, to abandon the project because it is not viable or not attractive enough to potential investors, or to concentrate on the development of certain areas which are critical to the projects' feasibility.

• Participatory Technology Development

The Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (Livestock) Programme, through hands-on community involvement, attempts to create an enabling environment in which communities can be integrally involved in the decision-making process of community development and entrepreneurship. This approach allows the community or entrepreneurs to initiate the process of business planning without the intervention of outside agents who are trying to "hard-sell" an idea. The step-by-step approach developed allows information, when requested, to be provided in an orderly and organised manner. The transfer of one set of information naturally progresses to a request for the next set, thus enabling the community to be the sole generator of the request for more information and the entire decision-making process.
This process also serves to generate information that is used to develop technologies which are appropriate to the target communities. Thus "awareness to implementation" leads to needs-driven technology development. Thus, all research programmes follow the "participatory technology development" approach.

For more information: Contact:  Thomas Langa Tel: +27 (0) 12 672-9224 Fax: +27 (0) 12 665-1603 E-mail: TLanga@arc.agric.za

• Rural Entrepreneur Training

The first step in developing an agricultural production and processing enterprise is to obtain suitable expertise in the desired processes. ARC training courses cover a wide range of disciplines, such as dairy cattle production, poultry production, sheep production, pig production course, beef cattle production, meat processing, value-adding to milk, goat production, entrepreneurship and business skills, engineering courses of relevance to livestock production and process (i.e. animal traction, housing systems etc.), leather tanning and crafting, project management training for adults, conflict management and resolution, motivation and re-thinking of the future, self-empowerment, tourism, literacy, and committee skills.

For more information: Contact: Annatjie Loubser Tel: +27 (0) 12 672-9153 Fax: +27 (0) 12 665-1563 E-mail: aloubser@arc.agric.za