Livestock

Water Buffaloes

In many areas of Thailand, water buffalo has been replaced by small tractors. However, there are still some areas where buffaloes are the main source of traction. In addition, in Laos and Myanmar (Burma), water buffalo plowing is the rule rather that the exception.

Without their buffaloes, those farmers must prepare their fields by hands, a very labor-intensive activity, so the amount of rice they can plant is limited. By providing farmers with draft animals, Heifer is helping to insure that the communities have enough rice to eat.

Besides traction, these gift animals meet other special needs as well. To the farmers, the valuable buffaloes are seen as a “walking bank account”, providing long-term economic security in the form of offspring. Even the manure of the buffaloes is collected and used as fertilizer for crops and fruit trees.

Along with a female buffalo, Heifer provides recipients with training on care and feed formulation. The project partner in the local areas helps Heifer to monitor the status of the buffaloes and to assist villagers whenever problems arise.

Heifer in Action

Kywenwataught village is located in Pyn Oolwin district of Mandalay province, Myanmar. In the areas, the cost of mechanized tractors and fuel is beyond the reach of most farmers. Virtually, all the men used to work as day laborers to supplement their agricultural production. Preparing their fields by hand took much time. In addition, harvested crops had to be carried back to the village in baskets carried on the backs of the villagers, and energy and time-consuming process. That process reduced income from working outside the village.

In 2003, buffaloes were provided to five households through Heifer’s partner in Myanmar. Now the villagers use the buffalo to plow their fields and harvested crops can be carried back to the village using buffalo power, saving much scarce labor time for other productive activities.

The buffaloes in this village are very much appreciated. They are well cared for and treated almost as members of the family. The buffalo even allow children to climb on their back for a ride.

Cattle

Individual incomes in Thailand have been growing for many years. One result of this economic growth is that people want to eat more high quality protein, including beef. Unfortunately, the amount of money required to begin raising cattle is well beyond the means of many poor farmers, so they have not been able to benefit from the increasing demand for beef cattle.

By providing cattle to poor farmers, Heifer is giving them an opportunity to significantly supplement their limited income. As many of the cattle recipients have never in their lives had the opportunity to own and care for such a valuable animal, Heifer also gives them extensive training on how to raise cattle.

Having implementing the project, Heifer often cooperates with other organizations. For examples, in Laos, the Department of Livestock and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is one of Heifer Thailand’s project partner. Together, Heifer and Department of Livestock provides the training for recipients and the Laos Department of Livestock officials regularly visit the project villages. By providing the initial mother cows and other technical assistance, Heifer is not only helping poor Laos farmers but is also increasing the extension assistance capacity of the Laos Department of Livestock.

Heifer in Action

Leprosy is a disease that can destroy people both physically and spiritually. Leprosy survivors are shunned by society and forced by social pressure to live in isolated leper colonies.

But with help from Heifer and partner organization, Beulah Land Services, the life of former leper patients is improving. A good example is Mae Lao Village in Phan District, Chiang Rai, the leper colony where Ubon Jaidee lives.

“People wouldn’t buy my vegetable once they know it was from Maelao Leper Colony” Ubon, 42, recalls her painful past. “But life has changed for the better now”, she said.

That change acme in March 2002 when Ubon and her husband were among the 30 families provided a chance to raise beef cows by Heifer and Heifer’s partner, Buelah Land Services (BLS). BLS is an organization providing physical and emotional support for lepers throughout the country so they can live with dignity.

One year after receiving the cows, a total of thirty-five calves were born. The smiles can be seen everywhere. Uncle Lek, Ubon’s husband, is a witness to the change in the community. Income from the cows helps provide new roofs for house, motorcycle, school tuition fees, healthcare costs and other needs of the villagers.

Pigs

Pigs are an important part of the diet and the economy in many rural areas of the region. Local breed pigs (land race) have been raised by farmers in Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma) for very long time.

Traditionally, the pigs were allowed to roam free and find their own food. However, pig mortality rates were high, and it took 2-3 years for an animal to grow to market size. As a result, the supply of pigs for home consumption and for sale was quite limited.

To help provide villagers with more pigs for their own table and for sale to the market, Heifer Thailand has introduced a multi-faceted program. First, Heifer provides pig raisers with training on the proper health care of pigs, including the construction of pig pens or sties which help reduce the incidence of diseases and parasites both in the pigs and in the human who come in contact with the pigs.

Heifer also provides villagers with improved pig breeds which are a mixture of traditional land race varieties and imported breed pigs such as Meishan and Duroc Jersey. These hybrid pigs reach market weight much faster, in only 8-10 months. This increases the amount of protein in the villager’s diet as well as increasing their cash income from sale of pigs. Raising pigs also helps farmers reduce the risk of disaster should one or more of their crops fail.

Finally, to help farmers reduce the cost of feeding the pigs, Heifer Thailand teaches farmers how to prepare their own pig feed using locally grown corn rather than purchasing expensive ready-mixed feed from urban markets.

Heifer in Action

Northern Thailand is a popular destination for both foreign and Thai visitors. The area conjures up romantic images of green rolling mountains flanked by paddy fields and colorful hilltribe villages. The beauty of the area however belies a much harsher reality. Each year thousands of young girls are trafficked from the local area. Ms. Awooma Lomo was one of those unlucky girls who were the victims of sexual exploitation. The underlying cause of this situation is poverty.

“It was the worst and most painful time in my life when I worked as a prostitute”, recalled Awooma. “But I had no idea what to do. I cannot read or write. I didn’t have even the money to buy food for the family. Finally returning to her village of Huay Chan Si, she then recieived10 piglets from Heifer. She was very delighted. “Though the money from selling pigs is not as high as my former job, at least  I don’t have to trade with my pride. And today I am a respectable woman,” said Awooma. She has now been elected a member of the village committee and helps look after the villagers’ well-being.

“Thank you Heifer for changing my life. I cannot imagine if Heifer Project hadn’t helped me on that day, how I and my son would have lived today”, said Awooma.

[Note: The story and photo were permitted to published by Ms.Awooma Lomo]

Chickens

Chickens have been part of the culture of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma) probably since man first came to the area. The ancestors of modern chickens, the red jungle fowl (Gallus gullus) are native to the area and were domesticated here. The locally domesticated chickens have relatively little problem with diseases, but they mature slowly and provide not much meat. As chickens are a major source of protein in many rural areas, those limitations on chicken productivity can have a direct impact on the health and nutritional status of the villagers.

In the west, improved breeds of chicken have been developed such as Leghorn and Rhode Island Red which grow rapidly but they have limitations: they must be fed specially prepared feed (which is too expensive for many farmers) and they are also more susceptible to disease as well.

Heifer has chosen an approach which gives farmers the best of both worlds: Heifer chickens are a cross between local varieties and improved western breeds. These birds have the best qualities of both their parents. They mature rapidly to a good size, yet are disease resistant and can live on locally available chicken feed, including milled corn from Heifer supported small scale mills in local villages.

Heifer also teaches farmers about improved chicken raising practices in formal training sessions which are supplemented by guidance.

Heifer in Action

Many women’s groups in Fang and Mae Ai district of Chiang Mai raise layer chickens to improve their families’ diets. They also donate eggs for village celebrations as well. In these villages, the flocks of chickens mean not only improved health and nutrition for families, but through sharing of eggs, they also help sustain community social bonds and friendship.

Goats

Goats have not been a traditional livestock animal for most farmers in the region, with the exception of predominantly Muslim areas. However, wherever they are introduced, they quickly become accepted by the local population, so these relatively easy to raise animals provide a good source of protein as well as cash income.

Villagers in Laos are provided with a locally acclimatized variety of goat which comes from the northeast of Thailand. As many of the recipients have had no previous experience with raising goats, extensive training is provided by the Laotian Department of Livestock and Fisheries with support from Heifer Thailand.

Rabbits

In the past, hunting animals in the jungle was an important part of putting meat on the table for rural people in the region. There was an abundance of wild animals in the jungles surrounding most villages. Land was plentiful as well, so if a farmer wanted to grow more crops, he just cleared more land.

Presently, however, a combination of population growth and restrictions on hunting have virtually eliminated this so-called bush meat as a source of supplement protein. Adding to the pressure, forest conservation efforts have restricted the amount of land available for agricultural production. Clearing new land for farming is no longer an option. These changes have resulted in chronic under nutrition in some areas, such as the Pangmapha district, Heifer project area in Mae Hong Son province.

To help meet the nutritional needs of rural villagers, Heifer decided to introduce a rabbit program. Rabbits are appropriate as they require little space, can be fed on easily obtained plants and vegetables, and, true to their reputation, are prolific producers of offspring; they breed like rabbits.

Not only will the rabbit meat provide protein for villagers, it will also help improve their nutritional status meat is, like fish, very low in cholesterol. 

Even the rabbit skins will help improve the lives of the rural people. Properly preserved, the skins are in high demand for clothing and various decorative items. Selling rabbit meat and rabbit skin products will help supplement the cash income of villagers.

An added bonus is that Heifer rabbits will help reduce the hunting pressure on the remaining jungle animals, many of which are becoming increasingly endangered.

The first step in the new Heifer rabbit program occurred in 2003 when some 100 improved breed rabbits were imported from China to Thailand. These animals are being distributed to rural farmers through the Royal Project Foundation with support from Heifer Thailand.

Frogs

Catching frogs in streams and ponds, particularly by younger members of rural families, has been a traditional recreational activity and a supplementary source of food in the region. When human populations were small and frogs were caught for home consumption only they supply of frogs far exceeded the villagers demand.

At present, however, there is a strong market demand for frog meat. The response to that demand, commercial from hunting, has greatly reduced local populations of many frog species which has a negative impact on the local ecosystems. In addition, because frogs are becoming harder to find in the wild, frog meat is not longer the important dietary addition it once was for rural villages.

In response to that situation, Heifer has introduced frog projects both for home consumption and for commercial sale in local markets.

Heifer in Action

In many highland areas of Thailand, local schools only go through the primary grades. To provide an opportunity to study further, hostels such as the one at San Suk village in Mae Chan district of Chiang Rai province have been established. Like most other hostels, the available budget for feeding the young people is quite limited. They usually try to grow as much of their own food as they can.

At San Suk hostel, Heifer recently introduced frog raising to help supplement the students diet. This activity has been so successful that the hostel is able to raise enough frogs for its own use and still have a surplus left over to sell at the market to help defray hostel operating costs.

Even narcotics has a connection to Heifer. Addiction to drugs, including opium and amphetamines, is a continuing problem in Thailand. Rehabilitation of drug addicts is usually accomplished in rural areas where there are fewer distractions and the environment is less conductive to a relapse. Part of the rehabilitation process involves helping the former addicts to learn to be responsible citizens.

In Huay Chan Sri village, Mae Ai district of Chiang Mai, Heifer has joined with the Office of the Narcotics Control Board to help teach responsibility through various agricultural activities including raising frogs. As participants are responsible for the care and feeding of the animals, they develop self-discipline skills which can help them resist returning to the use of narcotics when their rehabilitation program ends.