You may recall that more than a year ago, we expanded the demonstration area of our Agricultural Training Center by adding some basic animal husbandry to teach about the benefits of raising animals for family sustainability.  We added a few rabbits, chickens, goats, and even a cow.  Aside from the nutrition of having ready sources of animal protein for a family’s diet, we also teach the benefits of having a constant source of manure for improving the garden soil.  We use “confinement” methods for all but our chickens, who are encouraged to forage for a large part of their daily feed requirements, so that we must “cut and carry” fodder daily for the goats, rabbits, and cow.  Very few animal owners in Haiti use confinement pens and instead let their animals free-range, where they can destroy their neighbors’ crops quickly. Confinement and “cut and carry” feeding are much better methods of maintaining healthy animals and controlling your assets.  Needless to say, it helps in collecting the valuable manure, too.

This week our cow herd doubled because our momma milk cow gave birth to a new calf.  The calf is a male, and that brought great excitement, as they are considered a good sign for the fertility and health of the herd.  He will not provide milk, of course, but when he grows up, he can be traded for a good cow or more goats, etc.

Developing good skills for gardening and raising animals puts families on a clear path toward a better life of self-reliance and dignity.  We thank all of you who help to support our Sustainability Outreaches.  You are improving lives for the long term, for generations to come.  God bless you.

Rad Hazelip, Assistant Executive Director