Transcript Multi-Disciplinary Research to Optimize a Market

An Agricultural Model for
Biodiversity Conservation
Alexander J. Travis
May 26, 2008
Community Markets for Conservation
Specific Aims
1. To determine the extent to which the COMACO
model can be economically self-sustaining and
the effectiveness of the different COMACO
model components.
•
business economic analysis--What are the yearly
cost and profit centers of COMACO’s CTCs? What
opportunities exist that could add profit?

•
historical analysis--What will it cost to replicate this
model?

•
John Fay to cover tomorrow
John Fay to cover tomorrow
natural resource economic valuation--What is the
“equation” for cost of biodiversity conservation by this
model?
Luangwa Valley Incomes by Category
Chama
Income
categories
Luangwa
Lundazi
Mambwe
Total
0-50,000
%
81
41
77
35
57
51,000-100,000
%
13
36
11
33
24
101,000-200,000
%
5
9
5
17
10
201,000-500,000
%
2
8
6
11
7
501,000-1,000,000
%
0
5
0
0
1
1,000,000+
%
0
0
1
4
1
Source: WFP Food for Assets Baseline Survey - Luangwa, Mambwe, Chama and Lundazi Districts, July 2007
Food Aid Distributed in Luangwa Valley 2001 – 2008
# of benefiting Households
Food dist. (MT)
Distribution
Costs ($)
2001-2002
2,434
300
18,561
2002-2003
5,574
729
45,103
2003-2004
9,001
1,975
122,193
2004-2005
8,098
1,291
88,343
2005-2006
36,349
6,847
307,893
2006-2007
9,575
2,373
186,187
2007
17,210
861
55,934
2007-2008
5,000
1,740
117,270
Totals
93,241
16,116
941,485
Year
Source: WCS database
Estimated Food Aid Cost to Luangwa Valley COMACO Regions Since 2001
Food Aid Distributed by WCS
16,116 metric tons
Estimated Total Distributed
23,022 metric tons
Distribution
$58.40 US/metric ton
Procurement
$220.00 US/metric ton
Transport and Storage
$180.00 US/metric ton
Overhead/Metric Ton
$112.00US/metric ton
Total Estimated Cost of Food Aid Since
2001
$13,131,748 US
Source: WFP & WCS Staff Estimates
•Food aid expense breakdown in the Luangwa Valley
exemplifies the high cost of reactionary approaches to
dealing with food insecurity
• COMACO’s extension services have helped to plant over
9 million cassava cuttings, which has created a “living”
food reserve. Several million acacia seedlings have also
been planted. New opportunities? John Fay to discuss
tomorrow.
• Continual need for assistance in times of uncontrollable
shocks and pressures; however, alternative approaches
can lessen the need for these costly interventions.
Research question: What is the value of wildlife?
If biodiversity conservation is a desired endpoint of
COMACO, what is the value of that conservation? How
can COMACO’s activities affect the local, regional and
federal economies?
A stated preference, “willingness to pay” survey was
administered to tourists at SLNP and surrounding safari
lodges (10-11/2007) [poster # 08-P-32 by Sam Bell]
Values derived for 10% increases in populations of small,
medium and large species of wildlife, as well as a rhino
reintroduction effort
How can these data be used?
by ZAWA? by COMACO? by US AID?
What other data are being collected?
Specific Aims
2. To identify and integrate new
technologies into the COMACO model
to improve its profitability, food
security, and rural incomes.
•
•
food sciences
crop and soil sciences
 Lydiah Gatere to cover tomorrow
•
veterinary sciences (goats)
 Alex Travis to cover poultry tomorrow
Specific Aims
Food sciences:
For COMACO to become profitable, it
will rely heavily on value-added food
products.
Facilities improvements and capacity
building in food safety and hygienic
production practices are essential for
COMACO to expand their products
and market access.
Checking the efficiency of surface
cleaning
The peanut butter process – in
2005
Roasting
Location: dust in the yard
Peanut grading
Peanut butter
processing
The peanut butter process 2007
Peanut cleaning
Peanut processing
Experimental runs for quality
improvement of peanut butter
•
•
•
Shelf life study performed
leading to improved
product quality and new
packaging
Degree of peanut crushing
diminished  coarser peanut
butter expected to minimize
oil separation
Suggestions for the
emulsification process made
(i.e. use lower temperatures)
Continued Impacts
COMACO has hired a food science technician to
maintain compliance with best production
practices, and SANREM is helping them set up a
small lab to perform additional product research,
develop new products, troubleshoot
COMACO has met their quality and safety tests since
the training workshop
COMACO has obtained a contract for 300 tons of
HEPS (previously had to be imported)
rice breakage and wastage significantly reduced
new soy-based products made and marketed
goats are raised in higher numbers in the
southern area near Luangwa (Feira)
• contribution of goats to COMACO model
– fertilizer (crops, fish ponds)
– efficient (crop residues, less expensive than
cattle)
– fodder trees/agroforestry
• lower morbidity than other ruminants
• increase household security
– leather, fiber, meat, milk
– “bank account”
Participatory survey of practices
and concerns
modeled after our poultry work in year 1 (to
be discussed tomorrow)
• 6 chiefdoms
• almost every household keeps at least a
few goats (esp. Mburuma and Mphuka)
• numerous producer groups being formed
(Mpanshya, Shikabeta, Nyalugwe)
• semi-intensive management
• failed introduction of Boer goats last year
• some cross-breeds still going
Background research
• Goat market in Zambia
• Major problems affecting goats
• Transportation of products
Mr. Christopher Simotowe, District
Agricultural Officer, Luangwa District,
Zambia
Villager feedback (Shikabeta pictured)
• when to sell goats
• middle men
• market in Congo, $$$
• informal
• Halal market
• Why weren’t butchers carrying goat meat?
– Small yield of meat per animal (20-30%
weight lost upon freezing)
Major research findings
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Semi-intensive management
Neonatal mortality (60-80%)
Scours
Predation
Goat theft
Parasites (esp. Haemonchus contortus)
Soremouth (ORF)
Caseous lymphadenitis
Heartwater (Cowdria ruminantium)
Tetanus and/or blackleg (Clostridium
spp.)
Focal points of community training
•
•
•
•
•
Nutrition
Kid-rearing (60-80% kid mortality)
Housing
Parasite management/disease prevention
Breeding management + genetic
improvement
Disease recognition
Farmer Training Visits
“Training the Trainers” manual
• Trained 26 extension officers and
community trainers
• Officers and trainers then went and trained
COMACO farmers (>5000 households
participating in Feira)
• 2 day workshop
• Follow-up visits to training sessions
Specific Aims
3. To determine the extent to which the
COMACO model provides self-sustaining
social institutions and meaningful roles for
COMACO participants.
•
yearly surveys to assess family economic and
food security impacts
• yearly surveys to monitor compliance with
preferred agricultural and NRM practices
• “one-off” surveys to gather specific points of
information
 Vongai Kandiwa to cover aspects of gender
studies at the workshop
• stakeholder meeting for government officials
Social surveys--evaluating the model
as it is
COMACO routinely performs several surveys
on a routine basis to monitor family
economics, food security, and compliance
with sustainable practices
This year, one chiefdom was found NOT to be
in compliance and will therefore not be
given the “conservation farmer” premium.
Will this encourage compliance, or
discourage compliance?
Specific Aims
4. To determine the extent to which the
COMACO model improves biodiversity and
watershed conservation.
•
aerial survey of hippos
•
aerial wildlife survey (primarily ungulates)
•
watershed, canopy and bushfire analysis
 Conrad Heatwole to cover
Aerial survey geo-referencing
meta-data
Area
Area sampled (km2)
Species
Buf f alo
Wildebeest
Waterbuck
Zebra
Elephant
Eland
Hartebeest
Roan
Kudu
Puku
COMACO
Core
5329
156
167
75
116
207
7
40
14
13
224
Upper
Chisomo
control Lukusuzi NP
GMA
5303
3758
250
0
0
0
13
24
0
0
3
1
0
0
0
0
15
0
0
2
11
1
0
0
0
0
0
32
0
0
0
0
0
Acknowledgements
Cornell University
Alfonso Torres
Sam Bell
Beth Buckles
Jon Conrad
Parfait Eloundou-Enyegue
John Fay
Lydiah Gatere
Peter Hobbs
Vongai Kandiwa
Johannes Lehmann
Benjamin Lucio
Carmen Moraru
Alice Pell
William Schulze
International Rural
Poultry Centre
Robyn Alders
Brigitte Bagnol
Wildlife Conservation
Society
Dale Lewis
Steve Osofsky
David Moyer*
Virginia Tech University
Conrad Heatwole
Keith Moore
Theo Dillaha
Tropical Soil Biology &
Fertility
Robert Delve