FrieslandCampina WAMCO has partnered with the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), a science-based public organization, in a project that aims to boost milk production for pastoralist milk producers in Nigeria.
Along with IFDC, the company said it will work together with pastoralist milk producers in Oyo State, to boost the quality and quantity of local milk and improve the livelihoods of farmers.
The dairy partnership, which is known as the 2SCALE project will try to alleviate the contribution of women in the country’s dairy farming sector by specifically focusing on women and their needs.
The dairy partnership which has 1,800 milk producers, of which 950 are women, will provide technical, entrepreneurial and leadership training. The project will also set up water points at milk collection centres and a dairy scheme, which includes crop farmers who were previously in conflict with pastoralists.
Women and youth were trained on milk quality, productivity, animal health, institutional development and other areas and encouraged to start their own businesses and take up leadership roles in cooperatives. Initial evidence are that women engage in many milk-related activities, such as milking the cows, collecting the water and processing milk into cheese, butter and fat. In addition, through the activities, they contribute immensely to food security and supporting household activities in the pastoralist communities.
The company said that its Dairy Development Programme has been working with dairy farmers in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe for over 30 years, helping them to improve their livelihoods. Among the countries where the group has focused on include; Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Russia, Romania, Nigeria and Pakistan. The Dutch dairy cooperative aims at optimizing the milk chain through training and advising farmers to boost milk quality and productivity.
According to the company, knowledge partnerships, initiating and supporting projects have been the major pillars in the Dairy Development Prgramme (DDP) – aimed at improving the dairy farming infrastructure. The project has proved highly successful and has among others resulted in improved food security and nutrition, increased income for farmers and fewer conflicts between crop farmers and pastoralists. This is in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals on poverty and hunger eradication and promoting decent work and economic growth among others.
Source: Beverage Industry News.
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