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

Authors: KAUMBATA, WILSON - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria; NAKIMBUGWE, HELEN - Collaborator; HAILE, AYNALEM - Collaborator; BANDA, LIVENESS - Lilongwe University Of Agriculture And Natural Resources; MESZAROS, GABOR - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria; GONDWE, TIMOTHY - Lilongwe University Of Agriculture And Natural Resources; Woodward-Greene, Jennifer; Rosen, Benjamin - Ben; Van Tassell, Curtis - Curt; SOLKNER, JOHANN - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria; WURZINGER, MARIA - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria

Submitted to: Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2020
Publication Date: 5/28/2020
Citation: Kaumbata, W., Nakimbugwe, H.N., Haile, A., Banda, L.J., Meszaros, G., Gondwe, T.N., Woodward Greene, M.J., Rosen, B.D., Van Tassell, C.P., Solkner, J., Wurzinger, M. 2020. Scaling up community-based breeding programmes via multi-stakeholder collaboration. Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics. 12(1):99-112. https://doi.org/10.17170/kobra-202005281298.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17170/kobra-202005281298

Interpretive Summary: Goats play a key role in small-holder farmer livelihoods in Africa and genetic improvement of goat populations is a current priority on the continent. Community-based breeding programmes (CBBPs) have emerged as a potential approach to implement sustainable livestock improvement in smallholder systems. Goat CBBPs were successfully introduced in Malawi and Uganda. This paper explores strategies for building on that success through scaling up/out goat CBBPs as well as documents experiences and lessons learned during the implementation of the scaling up/out strategies. Governments, stakeholder partnerships, and community-based institutions all play important roles. Effective scalling up requires adapibility/flexibility paired with strategies such as early engagement of policymakers, mobilizing dissemination partners, simplified CBBP outputs and an effective monitoring and evaluation system.

Technical Abstract: Community-based 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/out 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/out goat CBBPs in Malawi and Uganda; and document experiences and lessons learned during implementation of the scaling up/out strategies. Governments remain the main player for successful establishment and sustainability of CBBPs. Stakeholder partnerships in this process are key for leveraging technical capacity, financial resources and creation of enabling policy environment instrumental for sustainability of CBBPs. Well established and functional community-based institutions play significant roles in consolidating farmers’ bargaining power, attracting the private sector and influencing policy reforms. Effective scaling up of CBBPs require development of scaling up/out strategies during the designing stage of the pilot projects/programmes. The strategies include: early engagement of policymakers, mobilizing dissemination partners, simplified CBBP outputs and ensuring adaptive/flexible implementation strategies. An effective monitoring and evaluation system should be an integral part of the CBBP scaling up/out processes.