The “Cobaye” as an example of smallholders’
livelihoods relying on small livestock in South Kivu
Brigitte L. Maass1, Wanjiku L. Chiuri2, Dieudonné Katunga Musale3,
, Dieudonné
Rachel Zozo3 and Michael Peters4
1 CIAT, P.O. Box 30677, Nairobi, Kenya; email: b.maass@cgiar.org
P.O. Box 30677, Nairobi, Kenya; email: b.maass@cgiar.org
2CIAT/CIALCA, P.O. Box 6801, Kigali, Rwanda; email: w.chiuri@cgiar.org
CIAT/CIALCA, P.O. Box 6801, Kigali, Rwanda; email: w.chiuri@cgiar.org
3 CIAT/CIALCA, 6 Av. Kasongo, Commune d'Ibanda, Bukavu, DR Congo; email: katungamusale@yahoo.fr & rashzo2006@hotmail.com
CIAT/CIALCA, 6 Av. Kasongo, Commune d'Ibanda, Bukavu, DR Congo; email: katungamusale@yahoo.fr & rashzo2006@hotmail.com
4 CIAT, A.A. 6713, Cali, Colombia; email m.peters‐CIAT@cgiar.org
CIAT, A.A. 6713, Cali, Colombia; email m.peters‐
Background Advantages of the Cobaye
Little is known about small livestock production Cattle
80 1. Help women (and children) to obtain cash
in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Fish
60
Sheep income
Republic of the Congo. An assessment of 2. Produce low‐fat and high‐protein meat
40
livestock husbandry by a rapid diagnostic survey
and a participatory rural appraisal (PRA), revealed
Bees 20
Goats 3. Do not compete with humans for their food
that more participants held non‐ruminent 0 4. Grow and reproduce on a flexible diet
(monogastric) animals than ruminants, such as 5. Are prolific animals
Ducks Chicken
chicken, swine and “cobaye” (Fig. 1). 6. Adapt to a wide range of climates
The frequency of cobaye (i.e., guinea pigs), an 7. Respond favourably to husbandry and
Rabbits Swine
animal domesticated in the South American management
Andes, was unexpected. The importance of this Cobaye
8. Have a size that is easy to manage
species for the livelihoods of smallholder farmers
Fig. 1. Proportion (%) holding a certain livestock 9. Are healthy and productive animals
in the region has subsequently been studied in species of 112 participants in a diagnostic
more detail. survey in South Kivu, DRC. 10. Provide security from disease and other risks
Kavumu
Mulungu Location surveyed
Lake Kivu
Bukavu Province capital
Major road Materials & Methods
Mulungu International
border
Miti
10 km Information was collected in South Kivu province of the DR
Rwanda
Mudaka
Congo (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2. Map of the A rapid diagnostic survey was conducted in 24 villages of 8
project area indicating so‐called groupements in June 2009 and Feb. 2010 (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3. Survey on livestock production Bukavu
the groupements
in Burhale, South Kivu A PRA was carried out in 2 groupements, Miti and Tubimbi,
where a survey and a in March 2010 (Figs. 4). Among others during the PRA, a
DR Congo
PRA were conducted wealth classification was carried out. Overall more than
Mumosho
Rwanda in South Kivu, DRC
300 participants were included.
Nyangezi
Burhale
For this paper, data collected were analyzed with emphasis
on cobaye production.
Kamanyola
A thorough literature review on cobaye as a domestic
Tubimbi Burundi animal helped locating information, for example: Lammers
PJ et al. 2009. Reducing food insecurity in developing
countries through meat production: the potential of the
guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). Renewable Agriculture and
Fig. 4. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) in Tab. 1. Minimum assets defined in a PRA at Food Systems 24:155‐162.
Miti, South Kivu Miti/Mulungu and Tubimbi, to belong to
general wealth classes in South Kivu.
Wealth Miti: women Miti: men Tubimbi: women Tubimbi: men
class
Very rich n.a. Cow, swine >2 cattle (1st), 1‐2 ha land with/
Results Discussion
and pastures >5 swine (2nd) without cassava, >5
cattle, 0.25 ha plantains,
3‐4 ha oil palms
Rich n.a. Cattle, swine >2 swine (1st), 0.5 ha land with cassava,
±4 goats (2nd) 3 cattle, 1 swine, 1 goat,
Livestock abundance and herd sizes Socio-Economics
5 chicken, 2 ha oil palm
Inter‐ n.a. Goats ±5 rabbits, 30 m2 cassava, neither
medium ±2 chickens, cattle nor goats, 1
>3 cobayes chicken / 4 cobayes
Small animals like goats, chicken, swine and Poor n.a. Rabbit, cobaye 2‐3 chickens,
±3 cobayes
1 cassava field, 2
cobayes, 1 chicken
Together with chicken, cobayes were associated
cobaye were found to be the basis of livestock Very n.a. No animals No animals No animals with poverty, regardless of the gender group
poor
production (Fig. 1). Relatively few animals were when assessing wealth classes during the PRA in
held per livestock species in general. Miti/Mulungu and Tubimbi. However, the
Herd numbers of cobaye by roughly one third Fig. 5. Number ofnumber per household household
poorest people in both groupements would not
Cobaye cobayes held per
each of respondent households was 1‐4 animals, and proportion (%) as reported by 112 have any animals at all (Tab. 1).
5‐10, and 11 to >20 (Fig. 5). The largest herd of participants of a survey in South Kivu. Typically, cobayes were used to supply meat to
>20 1-2
35 cobayes was found in a household of Burhale. 4% 9% the family and pay school fees. A cobaye may
3-4
Female cobayes are capable to produce around 5
11-20
30% 20%
fetch about 1‐2 US$ in the market, while fees are
litters/yr resulting in 10‐15 young. Economically, about 2‐3 US$/month/child in primary and 5‐10
cobayes most likely serve as the first step to US$ in secondary school.
climb the ‘livestock ladder’ that may lead to
larger livestock species such as goats and cattle.
5-10 Issues raised
37%
Participants raised the following issues
Husbandry regarding cobaye husbandry:
Usually, cobayes were kept in the kitchen and •Predators, e.g., dogs, and theft cause loss
were fed on kitchen wastes and collected •Diseases, especially diarrhea, could occur any
forages. The latter included grasses and some time of the year
herbs from rather fertile soils, such as Galinsoga
parviflora and Bidens pilosa (Figs. 6, 7). •Much time is required to fetch dry season
feeds for livestock in the dry season
Cobayes are predominantly husbanded by
children and women, both of which are In addition, frequent inbreeding of cobaye
responsible to collect their forage at road or field herds, in‐appropriate housing, and lack of
sides. Cobayes are also fed on banana leaves and hygiene need to be dealt with for improvement.
Fig. 6. Cobayes feeding on the
stems, the former being of low digestibility. ‘weed’ Galinsoga parviflora
Acknowledgements
The ready collaboration and openness in sharing their
Fig. 7. Cobayes are typically held views and experiences of all the respondents to a survey
in the kitchen
and a PRA is gratefully acknowledged. Funding was
provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic
Results Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany through
the project ‘More Chicken and Pork in the Pot, and
Money in Pocket: Improving Forages for Monogastric
Animals with Low‐income Farmers’.
Neil Palmer (CIAT) provided several photos.
Presented at CIAT’s Annual Program Review, 6‐8 May 2010, Cali, Colombia.