Many factors inhibit the development of the livestock sector in Bangladesh, including inefficient on-farm production capabilities, weak market linkages with the private sector and lack of financing to promote safer, better quality livestock products. More than 70 percent of rural households are engaged in livestock production, accounting for the majority of incomes for rural Bangladeshi families. However, most of these households face many challenges.
They possess poor production techniques, lack adequate land parcels to graze their animals, lack reliable access to quality inputs such as feed, fodder or means by which to safely process and package their products. Most farmers work independently without benefiting from membership in producer organizations or similar structures. These would have helped them to have better bargaining power to sell animals at higher prices or provide them with improved purchasing power to procure inputs on a reliable basis at discounted prices.
A lack of social capital in rural farming communities also exists, especially when women are not empowered to retain the money they earn from farming, do not have a leadership voice in determining how their money is spent, and don't know how to access finances to expand their business. Rural farmers are also extremely vulnerable to the shocks of climate change. Because of these factors, they are unable to effectively link to larger commercial markets that can help them improve their production and productivity, and increase their incomes.
However, smallholder and marginalized farmers can change their lives if they are guided with updated and climate-friendly technologies for agriculture and livestock rearing, get access to finance and input services, and last but not least, are linked with markets that ensure fair price. For this, we need value based development models that are integrated with market development in order to support the livestock market system at every level.
For example, Heifer’s solution in goat production in Bangladesh is attributed mainly to improved animal management practices that were introduced by Heifer in 2014, which resulted in a significant reduction of goat mortality rates from illnesses. In the five districts where we operate, the mortality rate reduced to less than three percent in three years, and incidents of death from Peste des petits ruminants, the most common illness accounting for goat mortality, have been virtually eliminated.
In the case of the dairy value chain, success depends on two major factors - feeding and breeding. It is necessary to provide rigorous training and coach farmers so that they are able to internalize the values and practices of improved feeding and care for dairy animals. This is one of the many solutions provided by our organisation – we also focus on prescribing formula rations, training and assistance to cultivate green fodder and forage, and implementing low cost vertical fodder to address the scarcity of land for fodder cultivation.
It is essential to build capacities and create strong social capital among market actors to provide the farmers with better livelihood options. The solution to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers is to boost demand driven production and enhance the market system by sensitizing the actors and thereby increasing the revenue of smallholder farmers.
M Siddiqur Rahman is Country Director of Heifer International Bangladesh. He can be contacted at [email protected]
