Raising goats to beat the drought in eastern Kenya

| March 6, 2022

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This edition’s Farmer story about dairy farming in Zambia shows how dairy can be a lucrative business for women farmers, and how one woman is addressing the challenges that COVID-19 poses to her dairy enterprise. Our Script of the week shows how both women and men can raise goats for income and better family nutrition, and how goats are a good choice for coping with a different kind of global threat: climate change. 

In many parts of Africa, the changing climate is creating challenges for farmers. In eastern Kenya, farmers are faced with extended droughts.

In Kenya, most livestock keepers prefer to raise cattle. But with the changing climate, a few small-scale farmers in eastern Kenya have recently discovered that goat farming is a lucrative substitute for cows.

Goats are hardy animals, especially in dry areas. They do not consume a lot of fodder, can go for several days on the water in the food they eat, do not require much land, and, if well-managed, gain enough weight to be sold in six months.

This script shows how small-scale farmers, both women and men, can get a lot of milk and manure, and eventually make money by selling goats.

This script is based on actual interviews. You could use this script as inspiration to research and write a script on a similar topic in your area. Or you might choose to produce this script on your station, using voice actors to represent the speakers. If so, please make sure to tell your audience at the beginning of the program that the voices are those of actors, not the original people involved in the interviews.

You might choose to present this script as part of your regular farming program, using voice actors to represent the speakers. If so, please make sure to tell your audience at the beginning of the program that the voices are those of actors, not the original people involved in the interviews.

You could also use this script as research material or as inspiration for creating programming on dairy goat farming in your country.

Talk to women and men who raise dairy goats. You might ask them:

  • What are the benefits of raising dairy goats?
  • What are the challenges? How have you addressed those challenges?
  • Do you think farmers can make money in this area raising goats?

You could also host a call-in program where farmers talk about these issues. You could invite an expert to talk and respond to farmers’ questions and comments.

http://scripts.farmradio.fm/radio-resource-packs/102-raising-guinea-fowl/raising-goats-to-beat-the-drought-in-eastern-kenya-2/