LIVESTOCK

 

MSI’s livestock program started in 1995 with the Sheep Farming Development Project in partnership with the local and provincial government of Sichuan province.

 

Fifty families were each settled with 20 ewes on a 3-year lend-and-return cycle. The ewes were of improved stock quality for meat and wool production. At the end of the cycle, the farmers kept all produce from the sheep and returned 20 ewes of the same age and quality to MSI. MSI then lent them to another group of farmers.

 

The project also trains farmers to plant, fertilize and cultivate pastures as well as breed and manage livestock with the help of sheep experts and veterinarians. The project has now expanded to include goats and cattle, as well as other areas of services such as agricultural technology training, cistern projects, biogas projects and related developments in the villages.

 

The livestock experts work with the local government in the following areas:

 

• Sheep, goat and cattle settlement

• Sustainable land use, land stabilization and pasture development

• Development of the livestock industry to market produce such as meat, wool, and leather

• Development of cooperatives to buy, process and sell produce

• Education and training in relevant farming techniques and management