Evaluation framework of community-based livestock breeding programs

The objective of this paper is to present an evaluation framework to provide guidance for an assessment of the performance, outputs and associated impacts of community-based livestock breeding programs (CBBPs), responding to the need of formalizing the evaluation procedures as it was stressed by FAO. The purpose of such evaluation is to monitor and evaluate on-going activities in CBBPs, to identify challenges and mistakes in the execution of the program, so that appropriate actions can be taken. This evaluation also serves as a guide for funding bodies to measure socio-economic impact on the livelihoods of livestock farmers in order to decide if the program’s goals have been met. The evaluation framework is divided into three domains: evaluation of CBBP implementation based on organizational and technical criteria; monitoring of implementation outputs to evaluate genetic improvement at herd/flock level and the consequential changes at the household level and the community at large; and evaluation of impacts to assess improvement in livelihoods of livestock farmers and eventual effects on the environment. For each evaluation criteria, several indicators are provided.EEA BarilocheFil: Lamuno, Doreen. National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Databank; UgandaFil: Sölkner, Johann. National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Databank; UgandaFil: Mészáros, Gabor. National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Databank; UgandaFil: Nakimbugwe, Helen. National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Databank; UgandaFil: Mulindwa, Henry. National Agricultural Research Organization, UgandaFil: Nandolo, Wilson. Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, MalawiFil: Gondwe, Timothy. United States Department of Agriculture; Estados UnidosFil: van Tassel, Curt. United States Department of Agriculture; Estados UnidosFil: Mueller, Joaquín Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Wursinger, Maria. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences; AustriaFil: Gutierrez, Gustavo. Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina; Per

Scaling up community-based goat breeding programmes via multi-stakeholder collaboration

Community-based livestock breeding programmes (CBBPs) have emerged as a potential approach to implement sustainable livestock breeding in smallholder systems. In Malawi and Uganda, goat CBBPs were introduced to improve production and productivity of indigenous goats through selective breeding. Scaling up CBBPs have recently received support due to evidence-based results from current implementation and results of CBBPs implemented in other regions of the world. This paper explores strategies for scaling up goat CBBPs in Malawi and Uganda, and documents experiences and lessons learned during implementation of the programme. A number of stakeholders supporting goat-based interventions for improving smallholders’ livelihoods exists. This offers an opportunity for different actors to work together by pooling financial resources and technical expertise for establishment and sustainability of goat CBBPs. Scaling up strategies should be an integral part of the pilot design hence dissemination partners need to be engaged during the design and inception stages of the pilot CBBPs. Creation of self-sustaining CBBPs requires early collaborative programme planning, meaningful investment and long-term concerted and coordinated efforts by collaborating partners. Permanently established actors, like government agencies and research and training institutions, are better placed to coordinate such efforts. The overall goal of the scaling up programme should be creation of a financially sustainable system, in which smallholders are able, on their own, to transact and sustain operations of their local breeding institutions using locally generated revenue/ resources. Since CBBP scaling up is a ‘learning by doing process’, an effective monitoring and evaluation system should be an integral part of the process