Some farmers at Jamaga and Tanyeli communties in the Karaga District have lauded the Inclusive Growth and Employment strategy of the Empowerment for Life Programme (E4L) for helping to improve agricultural production in their communities.

They said the strategy had also been instrumental in providing the educational needs of their children as well as the general upkeep of their homes.

Under the Inclusive Growth and Employment strategy of the E4L, which is being implemented by the Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships (CLIP), a non-governmental organization, some farmer associations at Jamaga and Tanyeli communties in the Karaga District of the Northern Region were in 2020, given 16 goats comprising 14 nanny goats and two billy goats to keep multiplying.

They were to integrate the goats into their crop production activity where they used crop residues to feed the animals for them to multiply and at the same time use the droppings from the animals to fertilize their soil.

Officials of CLIP visited the two communities to assess the intervention and it was realised that the goats had multiplied in their numbers with some beneficiaries selling some to attend to urgent needs.

Following this, new farmer associations in the communities were also given 16 goats comprising 14 nanny goats and two billy goats to also keep to multiply.

Mr. Alhassan Ibrahim, a crop farmer, who is an old beneficiary from the Jamaga community, said, “we use the droppings of the goats on our farms, which has improved the fertility of the soil.” “Whether or not you apply fertilizers, you will get good yields,” he added.

Zakaria Sulemana from Tanyeli community said he sold some of the goats and used the proceeds to pay his school fees at teacher training college, helping him to complete his education.

Barikisu Adam, a vegetable and crops farmer, who is an old beneficiary from the Jamaga community, said, “I will continue to take good care of the goats to multiply to sell some for the upkeep of my family and the education of my children.”

Mr. Abdallah Mohammed, Technical Advisor in charge of Food Security, Livelihoods and Climate Change, E4L, CLIP commended the beneficiaries for their commitment to ensuring the success of the initiative.

Mr. Mohammed said, “The EAL implements three strategies and one is Inclusive Growth and Employment. One key strategy under this area is the farming system approach where we selected some few communities, farmer associations in those communities and supported them with goats.”

He added that “So, we started in 2020 where we gave them seven nanny goats and a billy goat. At Jamaga community, they now have a total of 35 goats. Tanyeli community also received seven nanny goats and a billy goat. They multiplied and some were sold where they now have 22 goats.”

He added that “So, we shared them amongst the beneficiaries, and on average they have about four animals, which they took home to keep, and for each of the beneficiaries, especially those, who had four and above, had to take one out of their stock and give to a new beneficiary so that they also constitute a new farmer group that will now have their animals to rear for a year after, which the total stock will be shared again.”

He said, “We have realised that the groups have benefited in terms of how the animals have multiplied, and how they are also using crop residues to feed the animals and the breed has also changed.”

He advised the old beneficiaries to continue the good work by keeping the animals well, putting them in pens, keeping them semi-intensively, and ensuring that they were healthy adding “You should always have the veterinary officers to assess them and vaccinate them to keep them in good condition to continue to multiply.”

He also encouraged the new beneficiaries to learn from their predecessors by keeping their animals well.