Designing a Goat Breeding Program for Rural Development in the Western Highlands of Guatemala

By -

By Dr. Homero Salinas, F2F Volunteer in October 2022

About the Assignment: Dr. Homero Salinas supported the Cabras Para La Prosperidad project (CABPRO) as a Goat Genetics Expert. Dr. Salinas provided CABPRO participants and technicians knowledge on recent goat crossbreeding advances to improve goat milk production. Dr. Salinas received his Doctorate in Animal Science from the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon. He is now at Lincoln University, where he conducts research on Small Ruminant Education.

The Cabras Para La Prosperidad project is a collaboration between Partners of the Americas Farmers to Farmers (USAID) and Fundacion Mario Lopez Estrada (FMLE) in the remote mountain area of Guatemala. The project goal is to sponsor at least 350 households characterized by pregnant women or mothers with children under five years old. The program supports one local (crossbreed) goat and three laying hens per family. This production of milk, meat, and eggs then will  be consumed and distributed to families facing chronic malnutrition. The goal is to improve the nutrition and livelihoods of vulnerable households in seven communities of Chiantla, Huehuetenango. 

Dr. Homero Salinas at Lincoln University of Missouri Cooperative Extension volunteered on this assignment. During his time, he addressed the breeding program of local goats under a genetic rotation program using purebred (Alpine and Saanen breeds) and local (criollo) bucks to maintain vigor hybrid. Moreover, the community trainers received a strategic plan to keep production and paternity records to the best replacement selection and to avoid consanguinity. 

He also held a FAMACHA clinic, which is a tool that matches the color of the eye mucous membranes of goats and sheep with a color chart showing five color categories showing levels of anemia, which is related to parasites. The clinic was for four technicians, and 16 female promotors provided hands-on training and scorecards. The training workshops also included participating techniques to learn the best season of the year for breeding and kidding according to the weather, forage availability for the kidding and milking period, milk and meat household consumption, and market product demand. 

Salinas offered his feedback: 

The assignment to CABPRO (F2F) and Centro Caprino (FMLE) gave me a great experience. I found a solid planned development project, well-selected poor under-nutritional children families. F2F, Partners of the Americas showed the highest professionalism during the assignment and took every moment of my time to share and learn all they could about the breeding program and management of goats. Centro Caprino is a great designed facility and the best Alpine, Saanen goats and sires selected to have a good impact on local crossbreeding with local goats at the targeted communities and other areas of Guatemala. 

My personal experience was tremendous in learning about the lives of the mountains of Indigenous Guatemalan Farmers, their traditions, and the characteristic flavor of their criollo dishes. The project constituents were grateful to USAID support through Partners of the Americas Farmers to Farmers. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Better Marketing and Communications to Showcase the Work of our Hosts in Colombia

By -
Image
Salva Terra Foundation has focused on supporting vulnerable communities through sustainable agriculture. They work with impoverished populations and victims of violence in Medellin and aim to promote farming and develop local skills to work in the agricultural industry in an ecological manner. This process of bringing together concepts such as social impact, sustainable development, environmental protection, and food security requires excellent outreach and promotion. Therefore, they requested a F2F volunteer to help them develop a communication and marketing plan. The chosen volunteer for this assignment was Dr. Sindy Chapa. She has a B.A. in Mass Media Communications, with a Minor in Television and Art Design, an MBA, and Ph.D. in International Business/Marketing. She is the Director and Associate Professor at the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University and has won several communications awards. Dr. Chapa decided to use Salva Terra as one of the case
Read more

My First Goat: A Professor, Students, and some Goats Tackle Food Insecurity in Rural Guatemala

By -
Image
Two Worlds Come Together to Build New Solutions against Malnutrition What does a USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) expert volunteer group from the island of Puerto Rico have to do with combatting food insecurity in Guatemala? Everything.  F2F volunteer Gabriela Colón Rios trains Mam Indigenous women to better care for their goats which will improve food security and reduce high malnourishment rates. Chiantla, Guatemala. Photo Credit: Monica Gonzalez In March 2023, a group of five eager F2F volunteers arrived in Huehuetenango (Huehue), Guatemala, with hearts and minds set on combatting food insecurity in a part of the world unknown to them.  Over the next 10 days, this team of experts would consider Huehue, in Guatemala’s Western Highland region, their new home and office. Accompanying them on their mission would be faithful companions and mighty conduits of change: goats.  Communities in this region live at altitudes reaching 10,000 feet above sea level nestled by captivating mountai
Read more

Digital Marketing in Colombia

By -
Image
Digital Marketing is one way that entrepreneurs and producers across the globe can reach new markets and increase sales. But what is digital marketing and how can a small Colombian business use it to maximize the number of people who come across its brand? These are the questions that Zen Naturals was asking itself. Zen Naturals is a natural cosmetic manufacturing company based in Cali, Colombia. Zen Naturals develops natural cosmetics made from exotic ingredients from Colombia’s outstanding biodiversity. Through ethical manufacturing and fair trade practices, they are also taking a leadership role in re-investing in the communities that grow the ingredients used in their products. Currently, Zen Naturals supports more than 95 Colombian quinoa farming communities through Fair-Trade Practices and technical assistance on their production. Zen Naturals is preparing to launch their quinoa facial care products in Whole Foods Markets in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. in 2017.
Read more