Introduction to the ‘TechFit’ feed technology workshop

Workshop on Feed Technology Screening and Prioritisation, Dehra Dun, India, 19-22 September 2011

Alan Duncan and V. Padmakumar

Objectives

• To develop and field test an analytical framework that can be used to: – Collect

– Structure

– Screen

– Prioritise

possible feed interventions

• from multiple angles (technical, institutional, social and economic) in various contexts

Outputs

• Results of workshop and field testing will be condensed into a form suitable for wider distribution and application (following some field testing). End-users will be defined (researchers, development people?)

• It will contain the justification, the approaches/methodology and some application examples of how the technology prioritisation tool can be used.

Background

• Conventional approach to R&D for feed development technologies

• A few favourites:– Urea treatment of straw– Planted forage (especially legumes)– Bypass protein– UMB

• Scattergun approach ltd success

New thinking

• Innovation approaches – stakeholder focus, broad coalitions of actors, thinking beyond technological fixes

• But... still a need to facilitate tech introduction but in a more structured way

• Various projects have faced this challenge: ELKS, EADD, CSISA

• Would be good to have a common framework

TechFit

• Innovation approaches take some time• Could we help to accelerate innovation in

feeds sector by developing a simple framework to help dev professionals to prioritize interventions?

• This would need to take a broad view of contextual factors: productivity, economic, social, labour, gender

• This workshop follows an approach used to develop FEAST (rapid method to identify feed issues)

How does it relateto FEAST?

• FEAST Quick diagnosis of key livestock feeding issues using PRA and very light data collection

• Helps to structure thinking and allows dialogue with stakeholders on what the key feeding issues are and how they fit into the broader context

• Techfit could follow to help get more specific and more analytical on which feed technologies might work in a particular context.

Nutritional Technologies

Balanced Compounded Feeds

Straw TMR blocks Surplus-Deficit linkage (distant)

Straw fortification (through service providers)

Chopping (through service providers)

HAY: Prodn. of surplus & conservn. (through service providers)

Pulverisation (through service providers)

Straw baling Surplus-Deficit linkage (local)

Straw TMR pellets Surplus-Deficit linkage (distant)

Dual purpose Food-Feed Crops

Participants

Nationality India, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Australia

Profile Economists, nutritionists, sociologists, development professionals, knowledge management specialists

ILRI in India

What we work on

• Vaccine and diagnostic technologies for orphan animal diseases

• Animal genetic resources

• Climate change – adaptation and mitigation

• Emerging diseases

• Market access for the poor

• Sustainably increasing productivity in smallholder crop-livestock systems

• Reducing vulnerability of marginal systems and peoples

Our projects in India

•Improvement of Fodder Markets and Identification of Crop Varieties with Improved Fodder Characteristics in Selected Disadvantaged Areas of India OPEC/GoBihar•Optimizing livelihood and environmental benefits from crop residues in smallholder crop-livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: regional case studies SLP /CYMMIT

•Knowledge to action: Enhancing traditional dairy value chains in Assam, India DFID /GoAssam

•Comprehensive study of the dairy sector in Assam, India World Bank /GoAssam

•Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) BillGates & USAID

•Improving post rainy sorghum varieties to meet the growing grain and fodder demand In peninsular India ACIAR /NRCS

•Livelihood Improvement & Empowerment of Rural Poor through Sustainable Farming Systems in North East India IFAD /NAIP

•Improving the quality of pearl millet residues for livestock ACIAR/ICAR

•Enhancing livelihoods of livestock-dependent poor people through increasing use of fodder (Fodder Innovation Project) DFID /NDDB

•Livestock intensification: investigating impacts on livelihoods in dairy value chains OPEC

•Enhancing livelihoods through livestock knowledge systems (ELKS) Tata Trusts

•Goat value chains as platforms for reducing poverty and increasing food security in dry land areas of India and Mozambique European Union

In Uttarakhand

TechnicalInstitutional

Policy

TIP

•Integrated goat development•Nutritional technologies•Dual purpose food-feed crops•Bovine breed improvement (ULDB)

•Integrated pig development•Integrated goat development

•Model for piglet production •Service delivery model•Nutrition pilot•Swine fever control

Policy facilitation for mainstreaming

Research support

TATA-ILRI Partnership (Himmotthan)

Other projects in Uttarakhand (e.g. Milkit) in the pipeline ……