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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Study Tour for Farmers on Coping with Climate Change through Livestock - KwaZulu-Natal, Province, South Africa. 26-28th October, 2016



During 2015 and 2016 Southern Africa experienced the driest rainfall season in the last 35 years. FAO (2016) noted that during this period, 634 000 drought-related livestock deaths have occurred in the region, estimated at US$ 220 million. While grain farmers stand to recover in the next season or two, experts believe it will take significantly longer for livestock farmers to recuperate from the drought. In addition to emergency relief measures, efforts to build the resilience of livestock farmers and to learn from one another are increasingly important.


Diversifying farmers livelihoods through livestock and adoption of good practices to manage livestock stock during drought and uncertain weather scenarios are key options to help farmers cope with the effects of climate change. Some good practices are being practised in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province of South Africa.

The Farmer to Farmer Livestock Field Study Visit is organised by the ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), in collaboration with the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), Heifer Project South Africa (HPSA) and Mdukatshani Rural Development Project (MRDP) who are partners in the Goat Agribusiness Project.

The field tour will enable up to 20 smallholder farmers in Southern Africa learn from fellow farmers in KZN. The aim is to strengthen the capacity of farmers towards diversified livelihood option through practical "Farmer-to-Farmer" sharing of knowledge; the specific aim is to learn from on-the-ground actions taken by local farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The farmers in KZN will host their counterparts, accommodate them in their own village for intensive interaction, and identify best management practices for livestock during drought, including the production of nutrient blocks and fabrication of the block-making tools as a job-creation mechanism for youth.

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