Scaling up community-based goat breeding programmes via multi-stakeholder collaboration

Community-based livestock breeding programmes (CBBPs) have emerged as a potential approach to implement sustainable livestock breeding in smallholder systems. In Malawi and Uganda, goat CBBPs were introduced to improve
production and productivity of indigenous goats through selective breeding. Scaling up CBBPs have recently received
support due to evidence-based results from current implementation and results of CBBPs implemented in other regions of the world. This paper explores strategies for scaling up goat CBBPs in Malawi and Uganda, and documents
experiences and lessons learned during implementation of the programme. A number of stakeholders supporting
goat-based interventions for improving smallholders’ livelihoods exists. This offers an opportunity for different actors
to work together by pooling financial resources and technical expertise for establishment and sustainability of goat
CBBPs. Scaling up strategies should be an integral part of the pilot design hence dissemination partners need to be
engaged during the design and inception stages of the pilot CBBPs. Creation of self-sustaining CBBPs requires early
collaborative programme planning, meaningful investment and long-term concerted and coordinated efforts by collaborating partners. Permanently established actors, like government agencies and research and training institutions,
are better placed to coordinate such efforts. The overall goal of the scaling up programme should be creation of a
financially sustainable system, in which smallholders are able, on their own, to transact and sustain operations of their
local breeding institutions using locally generated revenue/ resources. Since CBBP scaling up is a ‘learning by doing
process’, an effective monitoring and evaluation system should be an integral part of the process.