Goats: Help Families Become Self-Sufficient

Lambi has a total of 5 Organizations that it is currently following in the field of Livestock. The organizations involved in these projects are:

• Rivière Blanch Peasant Development Organization (ODEPERIB): Goat Breeding
• Clonard People's Association (AGDEC): Goat Breeding
• Akil Gwomon Livestock Farmers Association (APEAG): Goat Breeding
• Manich Active Women's Group for the Revalorization of Manich (GFARM): Goat Breeding
• Haitian Peasant Collective Development Organization (ODEPCHA): Sheep breeding

ODEPERIB

Since the start of the project in March of 2025, all planned activities are going well. The ODEPERIB organization purchased several goats which are in good shape, so far. Currently, there are 22 goats that have mated and there are 8 left waiting for them to come into heat before mating them. Today, there are 15 breeders who are not members of the Organization who have mated their goats with goats in the project. Since the goats have not yet produced any offspring, we cannot speak about the results. We hope that in the next report, we will be able to give a true account of the evolution of the Organization's livestock (how many goats have been born...) and we hope that more people will purchase the mating service from the Organization.

AGEDEC.

The project started 14 months ago with a herd of 55 goats (50 females, 5 goats). During this period, 46 of the females have already given birth to 59 kids in the first litter (30 females, 29 goats). Among the kids born, 5 have died (4 goats, 1 female). The herd now has a total of 114 goats (55 mothers, 54 kids and 5 goats that started the project).

The project has maintained its 75 beneficiaries because after the first weaning, the Organization distributed 25 kids to 25 new members.

We hope that in the next report, we will be able to provide complete information on the progress of the project such as the number of beneficiaries within the Organization that has increased, the total number of goats in the herd, etc.

GFARM (STARTING END OF DECEMBER)

GFARM obtained 40 female goats and 4 male goats. Currently, 12 goats had given birth to 12 kids (9 females, 3 goats). Of this litter, 2 females had abortions. 8 females had calved again. 10 mated and 9 others had not mated yet.

GOAT CARE

In all breeding projects, there are 2 types of animal care provided; feeding care and health care. The members ensures that their goats receive proper nutrition. Therefore, the following types of fodder are used to feed the goats: Guinea grass, elephant grass, Guatemala grass, lespedeza hay, velvet bean etc.

The Veterinary Technician provides the goats with a series of preventive care for a number of diseases such as worms, diarrhea, and vitamin deficiencies. There are processes taken by the Organization to ensure that the stock of medicines are replenished. For example, in Artibonite, beneficiary members do not pay for the preventive care but they pay the same as the non-members depending on the medicine they are needing where rapid intervention is required.

In the South department, for example, direct beneficiary members pay a contribution of 100.00 Gourdes for preventive services that are carried out every 3 months. After that, whenever there is additional medicine required and payments are made out-of-pocket.

Due to the health measures taken by the Organizations, the goats are in good health. Follow-up visits by committees and Veterinary Agents is essential to success of the livestock.

BREEDING MANAGEMENT

In Artibonite, the members of ODEPERIB nor APEAG does not spends a single Haitian Gourde for the project’s goat breeding service. However, for those who are not members of the Organizations who request the service, they are required to pay a fee for it. In this regard, ODEPERIB charges outsiders to pay 100.00 gourdes for each breeding service, while APEAG charges non-membersa fee of 200.00 gourdes. In the South Department, the Organizations charge 50.00 gourdes for breeding services. Thus, in ODEPERIB there are a total of 15 female goats that have been crossed with the project goats, which allows them to earn 2700.00 gourdes. In APEAG, they have 39 females that have been mated with the goats, which allows them to earn 4350.00 gourdes.

IMPACT OF THE LIVESTOCK PROJECT ON THE AREAS, THE ORGANIZATION MEMBERS AND THE COMMUNITIES

The project is demonstrating gradual success. However, the Organization desires to expand to include more members of the community. The goat breeders have become more motivated to increase their knowledge in learning new ways to protect their animals, provide nutrition and medical care. Members of the Organization are becoming better at mastering goat breeding practices. Several small pharmacies has sprung in the regions that allow breeders to obtain medicine to care for their goats. The volume of goats in the communities has increased and many offspring are being born to satisfy more members and people in their communities

Currently, Lambi Fund of Haiti has 5 active livestock projects. It is as follows: 3 in the Department of the South and 2 in the area of Artibonite.

The beneficiary organizations are:

1. Haitian Peasant Collective Development Organization (ODEPCHA): Sheep breeding

2. Association of People for the Development of Clonard: AGDEC: Goat breeding

3. Association of Akil Gwomon Breeders (APEAG: Goat breeding

4. Group of Active Women for the Revaluation of Manich (GFARM): Goat breeding

5. Organization of the Development of Rivière Blanch Peasant (ODEPERIB): Goat breeding

In each of these organizations, all activities related to the purchase of animals, mating and reproduction, distribution of offspring, and management of the pharmacy are carried out without any problems. The training received by the beneficiary members and the support provided by the Management Committees and the Veterinary Agents of the projects allow all activities to be carried out successfully.

The results are quite satisfactory even when some minor challenges related to some diseases, abortions and some cases of mortality are recorded in certain organizations.

ODEPECHA

The project started with a flock of 55 sheep (50 females, 5 males). 18 months after the launch of the project, the flock has already doubled. The flock currently has a total of 119 sheep of which 64 kids were born from the female sheep. Once the kids were weaned, the organization distributed 36 females to 36 new members.

The number of sheep distributed depends mainly on the number of females born. The Organization is keeping the remaining sheep until maturity to sell to the general public for the use of breeding.

AGDEC

The project started with a herd of 55 goats (50 females, 5 bucks). Approximately 10 months since the project commenced, 46 of the females have already given birth to a collective total of 59 kids in the first litter. The herd currently has 109 goats due to the unfortunate loss of 5 kids.

The organization has grown to a total of 75 beneficiaries. After the first weaning, the Organization distributed 25 kids to 25 new members.

APEAG

The APEAG Goat Breeding Project is in a more advanced phase because it started in July 2024. As expected in the project activity calendar, the responsible parties began with the launch of the project where they explained to its members the details of the project strategies. It, then, selected 30 members who would benefit from the first distribution of goats.

In the second phase, they set up all the committees that would be involved in the management of the project: the committee to purchase goats and females, the committee to distribute the goats, the committee to manage the goats' mating and the committee to manage the pharmacy. The organization hired a Veterinary Agent for a year to consult them in taking proper care of the animals.

To recap, APEAG started with a herd of 32 goats (30 females, 2 male goats) and a bulk purchase of medications worth 75,000.00 Gourdes.

The female goats were purchased from local markets in the same Gwomòn commune, but the 2 male goats were purchased from another nearby commune because they could not find the breed they needed within its local markets.

The beneficiaries are taking care of their animals under the supervision of the project technical team. The beneficiaries have access to various kinds of vegetation and legumes in the region for their goats to graze. Much precautions are taken before the rainy season in caring for the goats to minimize their exposure to contaminated vegetation to avoid sickness.

As of earlier this year, all 30 goats are kidding, and there are already 16 liters of 18 kids (11 males, 7 females). There were 2 cases of abortion, but these 2 goats are kidding again. No deaths have been recorded in either the initial herd or the kids born.

As for the pharmacy, everything is going very well. It serves those in the Organization and others in the community. The Organization sells medicines to its members on credit, but non-members must pay cash to purchase. There are 53,750.00 gourdes of medicines that have been sold. In February of 2025, the Pharmacy Management Committee replenished its first stock.

The pharmacy has been an essential key element in the success of the project. The committee responsible in the distribution of medicines has ensured the members received the correct medications for prevention of ailment which explains that so far they have not had any major cases of illness or death.

This project is aiding the local people in the community where it is being implemented. The organization has established a breeding program for non-members. It allows the general public to bring their own female goats to mate with the organization’s male goats. The Organization has generated 4350.00 gourdes toward its breeding fund.

GFARM

The GFARM organization's goat breeding project started in December 2024. Training on breeding techniques has been conducted with the beneficiaries. In addition, the purchasing committee has purchased 44 goats (40 females and 4 males) with the funds it received from Lambi and a batch of medication was purchased in the amount of 50,000.00 gourdes to be placed in the veterinary pharmacy. The organization has already distributed the goats to 44 members. For now, each beneficiary is taking care of the animals that they received, waiting for the goats to fully mature before the breeding process can commence.

ODEPERIB

This organization located in the Gwomon commune is similar to APEAG. In March, the organization received a fund of 515,000.00 gourdes for the purchase of goats, to transport them, to set up the pharmacy and to hold the project launch day. Currently, the Organization's manager is planning the first activities which includes the training of proper breeding techniques and the purchasing of goats.