Improved goat production in Tarlac [Philippines] through the Farmer Livestock School

Goat raising is one of the most practical livestock ventures a farmer can engage in, as it requires low initial capital and guarantees a high ROI in just 2 years. In Tarlac, however, smallhold farmers had not maximized these potentials, as they lacked the proper skills and knowledge on goat management. Good breeds were also inaccessible due to restrictive prices. Technical support was also lacking. To enhance goat production in the province, Beltran et al. (TCA) introduced a development project in three barangays [villages] in Camiling, Tarlac from 2005 to date. Using the Farmer Livestock School on Integrated Goat Management (FLS) as Technology Transfer Modality, the project engaged farmers in participatory technology validation and adaptation. For 6 months, the farmers met weekly and trained an integrated goat management,making them aware of practical alternative to their traditional practices. They went home after every class with an assignment - an activity to be tested or implemented in each farm. The project also developed a multiplier farm of upgraded goats at the Tarlac College of Agriculture (TCA), which serve not only as source of stocks for the participating farmers but also as show window for the various technologies on goat production. The farmers were then assisted in organizing themselves into a cooperative not only to build their future marketing power but also to strengthen the bayanihan spirit in project management. Findings of the study revealed the following: Before the project started, goats in the participating villages were traditionally grazed freely. With the introduction of new systems of management, semi- and complete-confinement became the predominant management practice. Farmers had learned to house their goats, designing their pens according to their resource endowments. These pens, which protected the animals from diseases and thieves, lessened goat mortalities by 80-100%. Goat inventory in the villages increased by 77% in just 7 months from the start of FLS. The technologies the farmers mixed and matched contributed to this increase according to them. Farmers began practicing controlled breeding, whereas before they were not keen on following any breeding program. Since upgraded bucks were loaned to farmers, native bucks were no longer allowed to mate the females. They were castrated and sold. To avoid, in breeding, the farmers swapped bucks and practiced buck rotation between communities, keeping records of parental lines for easy tracking of bloodlines. Farmers established forage gardens and utilized rice bran, acacia pods, UMMB, UTRS to conserve by products when ample supply was available. The multiplier farm established at TCA produced kids of native x Anglo Nubian and native Boer bloodlines. By June 2006, the stocks at TCA had increased by 91%. This meant more stocks can be loaned to more participating farmers. The 'lakbay aral' or farm field visits helped farmers understand the potentials of goat raising. These helped broadened farmers' perspectives on the different forages that can be planted and fed to goats. The MASINAG Multi-purpose Cooperative was organized and endorsed to the Securities and Exchange Commission for approval and recognition. Farmer-cooperators of the project comprised the members. At present, all transactions of the members (purchase of biologics, concentrates, and sale of goats) are coursed through the cooperative. The cooperative was linked with Fresh Options Inc., a company that slaughters and sells fresh meat in San Fernando, Pampanga [Philippines]. Bimonthly purchase of 50 heads of goats at Php 100/kg liveweight had been set. This market link increased the income of the farmers by 80-100%. Of the various technologies introduced, the following were ranked as the five most important: 1) housing; 2) deworming; 3) semiconfinement; 4) upgrading; and 5) feeding of improved forages. Those technologies were most effective in solving their problems on goats. Two farmers have commercialized the technologies they learned from FLS and invested on a 100-doe-level venture each. The potential of goat raising in Tarlac is very bright with the adoption of FLS technologies and the establishment of a stable market. With the many benefits experienced by farmers in the pilot areas, the project can be replicated to other municipalities.