Presented by Mc Loyd Banda at the Conference on Policies for Competitive Smallholder Livestock Production, Gaborone, Botswana, 4-6 March 2015

1. Role of support services in enhancing competitiveness of
smallholder livestock farmers
Mc Loyd Banda
Department of Agricultural Research Services, Malawi
Conference on Policies for Competitive Smallholder Livestock Production
Gaborone, Botswana, 4-6 March 2015

2. Outline
• Introduction
• Supporting services and their roles
• Lead farmer concept
• Biogas technology
• Manure management
• Conclusion

3. Introduction
Characteristics of smallholder farming:
• Maize based mixed farming system
• Small livestock numbers per household
• Low production levels
Smallholder
80%
Commercial
20%

4. Intro’’ continue
Smallholder livestock farmers in southern Africa are challenged by a
number of factors including:
• lack of access to appropriate information on new technologies,
• complexity or high labour demanding technologies,
• lack of organized markets that often results in an unscrupulous market system.

5. Support services to improve competitiveness of
smallholder livestock farmers:
1. Lead farmer concept
2. Biogas technology and manure management

6. Lead farmer concept
• The lead farmer concept is being promoted
in Malawi as a method to enhance adoption
of technologies.
• It also shows potential to achieve organized
market channels in farmer associations.
Roles of lead farmers
• Village extension agents
• Promotion of agric. Technologies
• Role models in modern farming approaches

7. Selection criteria of lead farmer
• The characteristics of a Lead Farmer:
• Willing to share the information with others;
• Able to lead others;
• Early adopter of technology;
• A communicator with good facilitation skills;
• Should be honest, trustworthy and humble;
• Be development conscious;
• Be tolerant;
• Should originate from the village and socially accepted by the community;
• Be able to sacrifice for others;
• Be cooperative and approachable

8. Lead farmer capacity building
Some of the useful trainings to capacitate livestock lead farmer
1. Livestock management practices including housing, feeding,
breeding, diseases and pest control.
2. Capacity building to paravets
3. Fodder establishment and management
4. Feed preservation/ storage and formulation
5. Marketing skills include the business plans, market search etc.

9. Crop-livestock integrated project
Renewable energy
Livestock enterprise
Crop enterpriseLead farmer
concept

10. Collective marketing thru
lead farmer concept

11. Collective marketing
through lead farmers
• CLIP lead farmers & follower
farmers in an EPA have formed
an association
• To facilitate collective
marketing at areal level –
bargaining power
• Organized market search (e.g.
use of community radio)
5 lead farmers per EPA
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CHAMAMA
MKANDA
KALULUMA
LISASADZI
SANTHE
BOWE
KASUNGU GAME RESERVE
CHULU
MALOMO
MSITU
MIKUNDI
KASUNGU/CHIPALA
KALULUMA
MLONYENI
MVERA
MADISI KALIRE
CHIWOSYA
CHISEPO
CHIKWATULA
NACHISAKA
MNDOLERA
CHIPHUKA
MPONELA
CHIBVALA
NALUNGA
Kasungu ADD EPAs
Mulonyeni EPA
Chiosya EPA
Mkanda EPA
Mikundi EPA
Kasungu Game Reserve
Major Roads
Major Rivers
# Lead farmers Location
80000 0 80000 160000 Meters
N
KASUNGU AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT DIVISIONS
CROP LIVESTOCK INTERGRATED PROJECT
Lead Farmer Location
LEGEND

12. Biogas and manure management in enhancing
competitiveness of livestock farmers

13. Similar to Bokashi manure
Mixture of animal fecal matter, fertilizer tree leaves, ash, virgin
soil and add water then cover with plastic - wait for 21 days to
mature
Windrow type
• Popularized manure management activities in Malawi

14. Liquid manure (dung
and water) – apply
after 21 days
Pelleted chicken
droppings manure
Pit manure making
Mud coated
manure
(common)

15. Challenges in composting
• Exposure of animal manure to sunlight
• Poor quality of compost
• Low quantity of compost made at household (application rate: 5 - 20t/ha)
8%
4%
0%
8%
56%
24%
0%
12%
0%
27% 27%
35%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Shortage of
manure
Shortage of crop
residues
Shortage of ash Shoratge of labour Lack of practical
knowledge
Lack of focus
What Contributes To Poor Quality And Low Quantity Of Compost in Dedza,
Malawi
Quality of compost Quantity of compost

16. Biogas technology for a smallholder farmer
and manure management

17. Some requirements and production estimates from
digesters
Gas plant
type (model)
Number of
animals
(cattle)
Water & dung
per day (1:1)
Gas produced per
day (cu m)
Sun dried
fertilizer
produced per
day (kg)
Number of people
served by gas
(cooking and
lighting)
2 cubic meter 4 70 2 4-8 4-5
4 cubic meter 8 160 4 8-16 9-11
10 cubic meter 20 400 18 20-40 20-30

18. Advantage of composting by biogas technology
• Production of clean domestic energy
• Less emission of SLCPs into atmosphere
• Less drudgery in composting
• Continuous production of compost manure by digesters
Biogas
Cropproduction
Gas utilized

19. Conclusion
• Emphasis on livestock lead farmers for livestock production and
marketing
• Value addition to animal fecal matter through biogas technology
• Animal manure management knowledge in crop –livestock integration
farming

20. Thank you for listening
10th European Development Fund
The African Component of the ACP Research
Programme for Sustainable Development