British goats help relieve poverty

British genetics technology is a key feature of the success of a project taking hundreds of African families out of poverty.

The Meru dairy goat herd scheme in Kenya uses British Toggenburg animals to improve the quality and quantity of milk and meat production for farmers in over 100 community groups to such an extent that they are now exporting livestock to other areas of Kenya as well as Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi.

Run by the international non governmental organisation Farm Africa, the Meru scheme involves assisting and advising nearly 3,000 farmers many of whom work just half an acre of land and who previously existed on an income of a dollar a day.

Camillus Ahuya, deputy co-ordinator of the project, said, "We cross the British goats with local breeds and the outcome has been spectacularly successful in an area where farmers don't have enough land to run cows.

"Not only is there a big demand in Nairobi for the surplus goat milk that is being produced - it has health benefits including helping fight AIDS and HIV infection - the farmers are selling animals.

"For the first time people who were among the poorest of the poor are able to build homes, pay school and medical bills and even extending their farming activities to include cattle and pigs.

"All this as a result of British genetics being able to supply the blood lines required to turn a desperate situation into one of real hope. We believe that what we have been able to do in Meru can be replicated in other parts of Africa so that communities can become more than self sufficient and move out of the poverty trap."

The Meru project has been visited by a delegation from the UK International Agriculture & Technology Centre. A member of the delegation was Henry Lewis of the British Livestock and Genetic Consortium.

He said, "It was heart warming to see, in the middle of rural Kenya, what a great difference is being made to the lives of people simply through the use of UK stock and science.

"The Meru project is a lesson that can be taught the world over - we have

the know-how, they have the need. The secret is matching the two parts.

We are already negotiating for further stock to be provided from Britain."