Buffalo dairy value chain in Nepal showing symptoms of change
On 20 July 2023, a team from the CGIAR initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity (SAPLING) and 20 public and private sector stakeholders representing research, development, academy and industry gathered in Kathmandu, Nepal for a reflection workshop to revisit the initiative’s Theory of Change (ToC) launched last year and make suggestions for improvement.
SAPLING Nepal’s ToC was aimed at improving livestock productivity, encouraging public and private sector investments and fostering climate and inclusive policies for the buffalo value chain.
In the first year of SAPLING activities, stakeholders have noted a positive increase in knowledge among farmers, VLPs and national institutions, subsequently enhancing buffalo productivity and investment.
The Saikrishi Cooperative in Rupani Municipality of Saptari district has reported a 60% productivity increase. Similarly, the Milk Producers Cooperative in Itahari Municipality of Sunsari district shared that 80% of buffaloes treated in fertility camps came to heat after treatment.
The SAPLING team is analysing these changes, but they suggest that the integrated approach, using VLPs to link local dairy cooperatives and farmers, may have contributed to improving buffalo productivity in Nepal.
engaging with policymakers to scale up and increase investment in buffalo dairy value chain development. Workshop participants proposed novel SAPLING activities to cultivate an enabling environment for scaling and financing buffalo dairy development.
Furthermore, the TOC designs strategies for policymakers to scale up and increase investment in buffalo dairy value chain development. These activities encompass linking farmers to banks, financial institutions and insurance companies. Already, there are signs of increased investment in the livestock sector by national partners.
As of July 2023, 30 rural municipalities have included 15 million Nepal rupees (120,000 United States dollars) in their 2023-24 budgets for SAPLING activities focused on improving productivity. Moving forward, workshop participants suggested incorporating the need to increase public and private investment towards national academic research and development into the ToC.
Read the full article on CGIAR.org.
SAPLING Nepal activities will be presented at ILRI's side event, 'Towards an integrated delivery of proven productivity enhancing innovations in livestock – a market systems approach,' at the 8th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture (AACAA) from 26-29 September in Gaborone, Botswana.