Enhancing the role of livestock production in improving nutritional status of farming families: Lessons from a dairy goat development project in Eastern Ethiopia
Objective and Design: This study was conducted to evaluate the contribution of a dairy goat development project in improving nutritional status of project participants in two districts of Eastern Ethiopia, and to find out better ways of doing so with on-going and to-be formulated livestock development projects. The over-all study included conducting surveys to examine impacts of the dairy goat development project, nutrition education based intervention, and post-intervention impact assessment. This paper presents some of the findings of the base line survey conducted on 831 households and that of the formative survey undertaken on 228 project participant and non-participant households. In addition to dietary frequency and anthropometric measurements to assess nutritional and health status of farming families, the surveys covered demographic aspects and livestock holding patterns.
Results: Results of the base line survey showed widely varying livestock holding patterns and the generally low nutritional status of people in the two districts. The formative survey that compared project participant and non-participant households revealed that despite project intervention mothers were largely unaware of the causes of and remedies for nutritional deficiency diseases, and health and nutritional status of women and children did not vary with participation in the project.
Conclusion: It is therefore suggested that if increased milk production and farm income from livestock development projects such as dairy goat farming are to be translated to improved nutritional and health status of women and children, livestock extension messages will have to be complemented with nutrition and health education.