Unlocking smallholder farmers’ potential

holder farmers in the Eastern Highlands, was largely the preserve of large-scale commercial farmers.
The industry tended, more than most commercial farming operations, to consolidate around a fairly small group of very big producers.
Smaller independent producers were squeezed out or forced to join the system set up by the then Dairy Marketing Board.
This resulted in modest capitalisation for the DMB, since the big producers had access to capital of their own and installed fancy, very modern and very expensive machinery on their farms.
Dairy farming in tropical regions such as in Zimbabwe requires more equipment than in cooler climates because milk can sour quickly.
All that the then parastatal had to do was to watch tanker trucks drive into its bottling plants and factories.
By independence in 1980, the dairy industry in Zimbabwe was a highly centralised affair.
Some efforts were made after independence, by concerned donors, to redesign the industry.
A successful pilot project showed that small-scale producers could be brought in, but there was need for investment in intermediate facilities by the DMB.
Refrigerated tanks had to be established close to these smaller producers by the DMB and the milk collected from these. It was also obvious that some serious decentralisation might be necessary, with markets found far closer to producers.
Currently, the small-scale dairy industry is marked by the absence of good service providers, lack of skills, inputs, technology, electricity and the necessary business skills.
Smallholder farmers at the moment contribute about 20 percent of national output.
Last year, industry statistics indicated that milk output reached the 187 000 tonnes peak in 2000, but declined to 177 000 tonnes in 2001; 153 000 tonnes in 2002; 114 000 tonnes in 2003; 93 000 tonnes in 2006 and 87 000 tonnes in 2007.
“Our national milk production has increased slightly from an all-time low of around two million litres to around 3,5 million litres a month but from the 22 million litres we once produced (per month) we have a lot to do,” Mr Kirk Ajs, the president of the National Association of Dairy Farmers (NADF) was quoted as saying in a report presented at the Commercial Farmers Union annual congress in Harare in August last year.
As part of its effort to revive dairy farming in Zimbabwe, the European Union, through the EU Stabex 95 Programme, availed 645 558 Euros to the National Association of Dairy Farmers in 2009.
The project was scheduled to end in 2011. About 400 farmers were expected to benefit from the scheme. Full implementation of the assistance programme would almost double smallholder dairy farming contribution.
Beneficiaries are seven dairy associations of Tsonzo, Sangano, Rusitu areas of Manicaland, Umzingwane in Matabeleland South, Guruve in Mashonaland Central, Gokwe in the Midlands and Marirangwe in Mashonaland East provinces.
These dairy centres’ overall objective is to increase milk production, alleviate poverty and create sustainable jobs.
The association used to face a number of challenges, including having fewer dairy herds.
Under the programme, farmers were assisted with generators.
Part of the funding was also used to buy cattle to improve the dairy herd, stock feeds and the rehabilitation of the dairy centres and capacitate farmers through training and extension services.
The availability of inputs, revolving fund facilities, animal breeding technologies, together with greater use of proper technically supported dairy farming, created a situation in which more and more smallholder farmers have access to information and significantly improved their products.
So far, the dairy centres have seen smallholder farmers doubling their income by developing stronger links to the formal sector, while at the same time increasing the quality and quantity of their milk.
According to Ms Sue Bell, the Programme Manager of NADF, this is one of the successful examples of what her Association has achieved so far.
“NADF is farmer-centred and gives them (the farmers) a chance to own the dairy centres and make their own decisions,” she says.
“Our aim is to empower rural communities. We are moving towards farmer-driven initiatives.
“This will see smallholder dairy farmers driving their own economic development initiatives,” Ms Bell adds.
“It unlocks the potential of the rural economy through job creation, bringing service providers close to the people and also making sure that the farmer gets the best services and good quality inputs,” she says.
This model looks at the value chain – from producer to customer in a single industry.
In this, the project is looking at farms, transportation lines, milk processors, sales outlets and finally the consumer.
The success of this model is driven by its market-oriented approach.
This has created incentives at all levels of the value chain, with production responding to the market pull, stimulated demand for quality services and producers being driven by profit incentives as well as farmers having access to quality inputs and services through revolving funds.
NADF’s aim is to transform the lives of the 400 farmers in the scheme by doubling their household dairy income through integrated interventions in dairy production, market access and knowledge application.
The dairy centres have seen improved quality of local cows through better animal nutrition. Part of the technical support provides training in areas that include business practices and animal husbandry.
Gokwe South District smallholder dairy farmer, 56-year old Elias Chiweshe from Chief Nemangwe, is one of the beneficiaries of the project. He has won the NADF Prestigious Award of Best Small-scale Dairy Farmer for 2010 at a field day held recently at his farm.
This was as a result of a significant increase in milk production at his farm, located about 10km from Gokwe South growth point.
“I’ve been focusing on improving animal nutrition and health. I’ve undergone extensive training in animal husbandry, business practices and other subjects needed for the successful operation of a business to produce and store milk,” Chiweshe says.
Chiweshe was a civil servant before venturing into agriculture. In 1995, he got a plot in the Nemangwe area where together with his wife, Roseline, took dairy farming as a business.
He gained dairying experience working with Agritex, Government’s agricultural extension arm, and the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda), up to 2008.
During this time, Chiweshe’s dairy farming met with a number of challenges, namely the hyper-inflationary landscape, shortage of inputs, animal vaccines, stock feeds, dipping facilities, chemicals, milking equipment and transport.
Through the technical and financial support from the EU Stabex 95 Programme, Chiweshe had a change of fortunes. He now has enough stock feeds for his cows and is benefitting from essential cattle vaccines. He is milking four cows in a two-milking point parlour and producing an average of 45 litres of milk per day.
This translates to about US$400 profit per month. Plans are underway to increase milk production to 100 litres of milk per day in a four-milking point parlour.
In another part of the country, the Umzingwane Dairy Association situated at Mawabeni Growth Point in Umzingwane district, in Matabeleland South province, has improved its milk production levels and has aggressively started marketing its milk.
Formed in 2002, the association, which now has 40 active members, ventured into milk production but the continuous depletion of the dairy herds, run down infrastructure and the acute shortage of stock feed and chemicals threatened the viability of the enterprise.
This assistance enabled the Umzingwane Dairy Association to repair its equipment and together with the provision of a vehicle resulted in the efficient transportation of milk.
The commercial dairy industry in Zimbabwe is relatively small, with most milk being sold raw by farmers directly to consumers or through peddlers who resell it in village markets. The industry plays an important role in improving food security and livelihoods of its people. Zimbabwe is an agricultural economy that is driven by small-scale resource-poor farmers.
Also, the economy is heavily driven by agriculture, with more than half of the population dependent on one form of farming or another.
Johnson Siamachira can be contacted at [email protected]