Project Detail

Capacity building of the Mbororo community in basic animal health care and biodiversity conservation through cultivation of medicinal plants (ethnovet) (Alegefor/Mendong-Mboh hills Tubah sub division) (Second phase)

Scholars and development experts have come to agree that local animal healthcare practices are often quite effective, more cost-efficient, and certainly more available, culturally comfortable, and comprehensible than, scientific or conventional ones and can certainly be use as a tool to fight poverty that is one of the millennium development goals. The first phase of the project no. CMR/SGP/OP4/RAF/07/03 on capacity building of the Mbororo community in basic animal health care and biodiversity conservation through cultivation of medicinal plants (ethnovet) (Alegefor/Mendong-Mboh hills Tubah sub division) came to confirm this. The ultimate goal of the of this second phase of the project is to reinforce gains of the first phase, break new grounds in the areas of agro forestry, sheep raring for women of Sabbanjowra, bee keeping around pasture plots or conserved areas and continue to take validated indigenous knowledge back to the communities in the form of demonstration plots and appropriate educational aids

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

PARTNERSHIP IN DEVELOPMENT OF CAMEROON

Country:

Cameroon

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

OP4 - Y3 (Jul 09 - Jun 10)

Grant Amount:

US$ 20,445.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 12,741.28

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 10,972.95

Project Number:

CMR/SGP/OP4/Y3/RAF/10/03

Start Date:

7/2010

End Date:

12/2011

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

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A woman beneficiary with a solar lantern

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Project Characteristics and Results

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

*Mbororo women and men work together in project activities which was not the case before. *Twenty Community Health Workers that were training now treat animals with medicinal plants in the community. This has reduced the dependency on conventional veterinary drugs that are sometimes expensive to acquire. Hence, adding money to the pockets of members of the community. These Paravets have become resource persons to neighboring communities and are being compensated financially for their services. *Members of the communities are already generating income from the improved pasture planted in the first phase of the project and it is hope that more income will be generated. A kilogram of bracharia seed is sold for 1500 Fcfa (US$3.2) per kilogram, and desmodium and stylosanthes at 15.000 Fcfa (US$31.25) per kilogram. Considering that an individual in Cameroon earns lessthan a dollar a day this wil be big money. *Sabbanjowra bee farming group have started harvesting, packaging and labeling honey and 10 liters have already been sold at 2000 Fcfa (US$4) per liter giving a total sum of 20,000 Fcfa (US$41). It is hope that more money will be made in the future and the community will be able to handle some aspects of their development without looking for funding elsewhere. *Sheep rearing is an activity that has both socio-cultural and economic impacts. According to the religion of the Mbororos (Islam), sheep is very important for the celebration of the feast of the ram. At this time. a ram is very expensive that some people cannot buy. This activity will solve the problem of not being able to buy a ram during the feast of the ram and the women will also sell their sheep and make money. Women will be empowered economically and the nutritional status of their families will increase in the long run. *The distribution of solar lanterns has increased the socio-economic status of the family. Economically, about 6000 Fcfa that used to be spent on transport and charging of telephones in Bamenda is no more spent as the solar lanterns can also be used for charging telephones. Communication with people out of the community is now possible at anytime. Besides, kerosene is no longer bought to light the bush lamps. Sabbanjowra has no electricity lights. An average household in Sabbanjowra spends about 2500 Fcfa (US$5) a week on kerosene to light the bush lamps. This money is not being spent again.

Gender Focus

*When indigenous women?s capacities are built, making them know that they have potentials and providing them with income generating activities, they will have confidence in themselves and cultural barriers can be weakened. * 20 women wereTrain on bee keeping and installation of beehives and bee farming equipment in the communities.

Project sustainability

The sustainability of this project is assured by many factors among which are capacity building, natural resources (medicinal plants, cattle), the ethnovet handbook and community management body and organizational support from PADEV. The capacity of the people have been built to a level that has created awareness in them of what their natural environment (medicinal plants) has provided for them that can be used in fighting poverty.One thing that is needed for this project to be more sustainable is to move this project from only cultivating and conservation of ethnovet medicinal plants in ethnovet gardens to processing, packaging and storage of ethnoveterinary medicines. This will solve the problems of scarcity of medicines during the dry periods.

Capacity - Building Component

Training on intensive sheep breeding with support to Sabbanjowra women. This was a gender specific activity besides being an income generating or a poverty reduction activity. Twenty one women received a female sheep (Ewe) each with a commitment to give one to another woman when it finally give birth under the principle of POG (Passing On the Gift) practiced by Hiefer International Project. Twenty six women received the training on sheep breeding besides 9 men in attendance.

Replication of project activities

Two Millennium Development Goals that is ?eradicate extreme poverty and hunger? and ?ensure environmental sustainability? are very important in taking a decision to replicate this project in any context and country. Through these two goals other goals can be achieved. Poverty and hunger has become part and parcel of African life and in situation where poverty and hunger is common, and cattle rearing is the main source of livelihood, the pressure on the environment can be very high. There is a need for a replication of a project of the nature to reduce poverty and ensure environmental sustainability wherever there are indigenous people whose main source of livelihood is cattle rearing. While thinking of how of ethnovet plants can be process, packaged and stored to be use at anytime.

Project Results

* To instill leadership skills that will enable leaders to carry along the group and increase group participation in project activities a 15 member Committee was trained (13 men & 2 women) and put in place to mobilize financial contribution for work to go on, negotiate more plots for project activities and to facilitate communication;

* After enlightening the community on the use of agroforestry tree species in Home gardens, contour hedges, life fences, boarder planting and wind breaks, 50 people were trained (35 men & 15 women) on the nursery of agroforestry species.

* In prelude to the creation of more ethno-verterinary gardens and rehabilitation of existing ones, over 20 community members were taught methods of record keeping for animal health, discussed the signs of illness, basic equipment for animal treatment with ethno veterinary medicine and common occurring diseases in livestock in the area

* 07 improved pasture plots and 07 ethnoveterinary garden plots established by 02 communities. Most of the beneficiaries now treat their cattle using the ethnoveterinary species from their backyard gardens. Most of the pastures has leguminous characteristics thus lead to soil fertility improvement of beneficiary?s plot

* 40 Kenya Type Beehives produced and distributed to 13 beneficiary members; most of these beehives have been colonized already. Sabbanjowra community members have started packaging and labeling their honey products;

*Training on bee keeping and installation of beehives and bee farming equipment in the communities. Fifty persons were trained (30 men and 20 women). Forty beehives Kenyan Top Bars (KTB) were distributed to three groups; Sabga group, Sabga youth group and Sabbanjowra group. The following eauipment were also bought and distributed as follows: Sabga group and Sabga youth group received 3 bee suits, 3 smokers, 3 gloves and 3 rain boats respectively while Sabbanjowra group receive four items of each equipment. This activity though it is an environmental in that it will help in the conservation of the environment since bee farmers will stop the habit of bush burning, in the long run it is a poverty reduction activity as the groups will generate income from the sales of honey.

* Five tree nurseries created, with more than 10,000 assorted tree seedlings already in them;

* 25 solar lanterns bought and distributed for household domestic use. Using solar lantern has lead to saving of money that would have been used in buying kerosene and paying for charging phones.

* Establishment of ethnovet gardens and improved pasture plots.The key activity here which is environmental also has a poverty reduction undertone in the long run is the establishment of ethnovet gardens and improved pasture plots. The main project outputs include 12 ethnovet gardens and 9 improved pasture plots. The break down according to communities is as follows: Sabga 3 ethnovet gardens and 4 improved pasture plots; Sabbanjowra 9 ethnovet gardens and 5 improved pasture plots. Both men and women have benefitted from this activity but women are more interested in ethnovet gardens than men.

* 26 women in Sabbanjowra received the training including 09 men and 21 women have received a female sheep (ewe) each.

*Training on intensive sheep breeding with support to Sabbanjowra women. This was a gender specific activity besides being an income generating or a poverty reduction activity. Twenty one women received a female sheep (Ewe) each with a commitment to give one to another woman when it finally give birth under the principle of POG (Passing On the Gift) practiced by Hiefer International Project. Twenty six women received the training on sheep breeding besides 9 men in attendance.

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