Enhancing the role of livestock production in improving nutritional status of farming families: Lessons from a dairy goat development project in Eastern Ethiopia

摘要

nbsp;nbsp;ThisstudywasconductedtoevaluatethecontributionofadairygoatdevelopmentprojectinimprovingnutritionalstatusofprojectparticipantsintwodistrictsofEasternEthiopia,andtofindoutbetterwaysofdoingsowithon-goingandto-beformulatedlivestockdevelopmentprojects.Theover-allstudyincludedconductingsurveystoexamineimpactsofthedairygoatdevelopmentproject,nutritioneducationbasedintervention,andpost-interventionimpactassessment.Thispaperpresentssomeofthefindingsofthebaselinesurveyconductedon831householdsandthatoftheformativesurveyundertakenon228projectparticipantandnon-participanthouseholds.Inadditiontodietaryfrequencyandanthropometricmeasurementstoassessnutritionalandhealthstatusoffarmingfamilies,thesurveyscovereddemographicaspectsandlivestockholdingpatterns.nbsp;Resultsofthebaselinesurveyshowedwidelyvaryinglivestockholdingpatternsandthegenerallylownutritionalstatusofpeopleinthetwodistricts.Theformativesurveythatcomparedprojectparticipantandnon-participanthouseholdsrevealedthatdespiteprojectinterventionmotherswerelargelyunawareofthecausesofandremediesfornutritionaldeficiencydiseases,andhealthandnutritionalstatusofwomenandchildrendidnotvarywithparticipationintheproject.Itisthereforesuggestedthatifincreasedmilkproductionandfarmincomefromlivestockdevelopmentprojectssuchasdairygoatfarmingaretobetranslatedtoimprovednutritionalandhealthstatusofwomenandchildren,livestockextensionmessageswillhavetobecomplementedwithnutritionandhealtheducation.nbsp;