St. George’s, Grenada – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently conducted a five-day technical training workshop in Grenada on the production and management of small ruminant livestock for 40 participants comprising of lectures and field sessions.
The training which was held from November 7 to 11 2022 was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture World-Bank funded OECS Regional Agricultural Competitiveness Project and conducted by Dr Gabrielle Young, a Livestock Support Manager based in Jamaica.
The participants included extension officers, livestock officers, 4-H students, livestock farmers and agro-processors, and aimed to increase capacity of extension officers and small ruminant livestock farmers in livestock production and management to improve market performance.
In addition to leading the training, Young also conducted brief assessments of seven small ruminant farms, namely sheep, goat and pig in an effort to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the farms. Her assessments revealed that most of the animals were underfed and malnourished and did not weigh as much as they should. She also noted that while the houses for the animals were adequate and well designed, they were understocked with animals, which has potential impact for income generation for the farmers and the availability of meat for consumers.
Young also advised the stakeholders on different methods to reduce feed wastage and how to obtain better health management of small ruminants, which will form part of the recommendations and action plan to be presented to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Some of the strategies included the use of forage choppers to cut stalks into smaller pieces as smaller quantities of feeds can help to stimulate consumption and storing feed in a properly ventilated area to avoid excessive heating and mildew. She added, “Grenada has enormous potential in the goat and sheep sector, with some investment and policy guided towards developing the sector, farmers can develop their farms to become profitable enterprises.”
During a consultation meeting, The Hon. Adrian Thomas, Minister of Agriculture, disclosed that there is great potential for small ruminants’ production in Grenada and that the government has plans to revive the industry by upgrading the Goat Multiplication Centre and restocking the centre with black belly sheep in the upcoming New Year.
Meanwhile, participants spoke about the need for better and specified supplements from local suppliers to support nutritional requirements for animals, care and maintenance. Nuggent Bernard, Livestock Officer who also participated in the workshop, stated, “I’m happy that farmers are exposed to up to date information on small ruminant care”. He emphasized the need for participants to be organized and know their markets once they in production.
Juan Cheaz, Economist at the FAO Caribbean Office, stated, “The FAO Technical Assistance Agreement with the Government of Grenada allows to provide this kind of technical training, which has been prioritised.
The Extension staff from the Ministry of Agriculture were able to access technical information and practical tools to be better able to assist farmers, while farmers were directly exposed during the live sessions to practical to better take care of their animals”.