SUA project 'Epinav' enables Njombe farmers to raise milk four fold

SUA project 'Epinav' enables Njombe farmers to raise milk four fold

Mon Sep 01, 2014

Dairy farmers in Ibumila and Magoda villages in Njombe Region have applauded the support extended by Sokoine University of Agriculture's (SUA) through the dairy programme titled: “Enhancing Pro-poor Innovation in Natural resources Agricultural Value chains” (Epinav).

 

 

 

 The initiative has enabled them to increase milk production from an average of 6 to 26 litres a day.

 

 

 

 The Epinav project aims to help dairy farmers in Njombe Region to preserve fodder for use during the dry season.

 

 

 

 Speaking during the SUA’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) mission of the dairy project in Njombe Region on Saturday, Huruma Mhapa, a farmer from Juhudi group said the project has assisted them to increase their milk production tremendously.

 

 

 

 Mhapa noted that before the training, milk production was between 2 and 4 litres per day but after the training, milk collected is about 28 litres a day, of which 14 litres are milked in the morning and 12litres in the evening.

 

 

 

“We used to get very little milk in all seasons, and we suffered during the dry season where there is insufficient fodder for our cows, but after the training on, pasture production, fodder conservation and utilisation of technologies, we have sufficient fodder which enables us to increase boost milk production,” she said.

 

 

 

 She also said the Epinav project has helped them to acquire milk quality control and processing technologies which ensure attainment of the required quality standards.

 

 

 

 Another dairy farmer, Agnes Mlowe said: “We thank SUA for their support through Epinav. The project has simplified our lives in terms of cooking and lighting whereby we now use biogas.”

 

 

 

 Juhudi Dairy Group which has 59 members asked Epinav project to also assist them with breeding through Artificial Insemination (AI) that will make them get better cattle for dairy production.

 

 

 

 On their part, Tupendane Group who also benefited from the Epinav project said the project has helped them to boost the milk production from 16 to 20 litres a day, compared to the previous 2 to 4 litres. 

 

 

 

“We have doubled the production after getting the up scaling technologies for proper milking practices, control of mastitis and milk borne diseases, our lives have improved to the extent that some of us have constructed better houses,” he said.

 

 

 

 SUA and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) through support by Norwegian and Tanzanian governments started the research Programme for Agricultural and Natural Resources Transformation for Improved Livelihoods in Tanzania (Pantil) from 2006 to 2009 and its successor Enhancing Pro-poor Innovation in Natural resources and Agricultural Value-chains (Epinav) Programme which started in 2010 and is expected to end in 2015 have shown great impact.

 

 

 

 Dr. Doroth Gimbi from SUA said SUA's dairy project in Njombe Region has helped promote  best practices in dairy production, which are  now being scaled up to ten villages up from four.

 

 

 

 “About 60 farmers from 6 villages have been intensively trained on technologies to be out scaled using the learning centres in Lunyanywi and Ibumila villages here in Njombe Region and the training has shown great success” she said.

 

 

 

 She underscored that Epinav entered into a collaboration agreement with the Tanzania Domestic Biogas Programme (TDBP) to carry out studies on the use of bio-slurry and to extend biogas technology to all the six new villages in Njombe.

 

 

 

 “At least 12 biogas plants in 4 out of 6 new villages have been installed and are used in addition to training on technologies on manure and slurry handling and utilisation and biogas production,” she said.

 

 

 

 SUA has over the years developed and tested a good number of productivity enhancing technologies and best practices in various pilot villages in the country. However, uptake of the technologies to wider communities in the Districts and Regions remains a challenge. Hence Epinav’s efforts to up-scale proven technologies in the context of climate change.

SOURCE: IPPMEDIA

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