Indian peacekeepers in Upper Nile teach farmers new methods generating incomes through goat rearing

21 Mar 2019

Indian peacekeepers in Upper Nile teach farmers new methods generating incomes through goat rearing

Nyang Touch

With calm and normalcy slowly returning to many areas following the signing of the revitalized peace agreement in South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, previously displaced citizens are gearing up for returns to their places of origin.

As such, the UN mission’s peacekeepers in Upper Nile are partially changing tack, by strengthening the resilience of local communities.

One way of accomplishing this is by building the capacity of livestock farmers by teaching them new methods of goat rearing for income generation – once again bringing to the fore the contributions of different troop contributing countries to the people.

“I have lost many goats, particularly small kids, in the recent past. After undergoing this training workshop, I understand what mistakes I’ve been making” said James Nyawanya, one of the participants in an interactive teaching session with Indian peacekeepers. 

“The incidences of increased disease and death among goats in surrounding areas have led us to organize this workshop for livestock farmers, to enable them to provide special care for newly born kids,” says veterinary officer Lieutenant Colonel Sengar.

The peacekeepers went the extra mile by providing a reference handbook on “Goat farming and Management”, specifically tailored to the needs of local communities in South Sudan. Copies of this manual have been handed out to the Ministry of Agriculture and the 36 attending goat farmers from the Malakal Farmers’ Union.

“The new techniques on how to zero graze and the practical lessons on disease prevention were very educating and practical for me, especially in this region where we lose many animals due to poor care,” said another participant, Gabriel Olouc.

State governor James Tor Munybuony appreciated the mission’s efforts and encouraged all the participants to learn every aspect of goat farming and to use this knowledge to improve their livestock management and create new income-generating opportunities. 

Participants were trained on nutritional and health management, housing, effective first aid, vaccination and deworming, breed improvement and value addition of milk. They also received hands-on practice on recording basic vital parameters like rectal temperature, respiration rate and calculating the age of goats with dentition.