Action-research for hydroponic fodder production and the creation of mobile milk units

Background

The pastoral space in central and northern Mali is highly fragmented due to armed groups at war, progressive urbanisation and the expansion of agriculture. Conflicts between landusers in rural areas seem to be both a cause and a consequence of this situation.

This makes marketing livestock products (especially milk and meat) difficult and weakens economic relationships between mobile (pastoralists) and sedentary (farmers) populations.

The project intervenes by creating economic opportunities in the production and marketing processes of animal products.

Approach

Action research is a concept that combines research and socio-economic development activities. In this sense, research questions frame the project work.

The proposed research-actions are unprecedented in Mali and therefore highly innovative.

1. The goal is to create a model of collecting, processing and distributing of local milk produced under hygienic conditions acceptable to pastoralists without hindering the necessary mobility of herds and effectively connecting them to consumption areas/markets.
2. It is also a model of securing and exploiting a specific pastoral area on the basis of solid social agreements and allowing quality fodder production throughout the year.

Objectives

The project aims to introduce and test the following innovations, in order to assess their wider dissemination/application:

• Fodder production (hydroponics) in pastoral areas after multi-stakeholder consultation frameworks, with the aim of creating income-generating activities (production and sale of fodder, fodder filling at the base of the fodder).
• Introduction of mobile local milk processing units to market the milk from pastoralists, that has been until now little marketed.

The programme is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA.

Which of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals does this project work towards?

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