Friday Funnies: Nature vs. Science vs. Open Access – Explained

Open Access has become a major topic of discussion in the West; as, too, related issues of publication.  Why in the ‘West?’ because access to digital technology as well as to many  journals is generally absent in developing countries. It is deeply troubling to watch the rapid increase in this global divide.

While in some countries – Kenya, South Africa, for example – there is some improved access, in more impoverished countries – such as here in Burundi – there is absolutely none.  Not one university or research institute has been able to move much beyond Google searches.  The Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute in South Africa leads the publication of a series of documents that are suitable for technicians and veterinarians and that are keyed to situations in Africa – such as this one – we need more initiatives like this!

There are also international organizations having document portals – such as the CGIAR, the World Bank and FAO – but the available documents are often limited to their own publications.  Additionally, training of students, researchers, professionals, and Interested Others in use of these portals is generally lacking.

Why don’t some of the donors weight in on this issue?  I frankly do not know.  But continue gently prodding potential donors – FAO, having a large operation here in Burundi, is one possibility, and there are others.  I’m hoping to be working with one of the local (but internationally linked) universities on this issue.  Some of the major international publishers, such as JSTOR and SAGE, offer special programs for universities in poorer countries, but these possibilities are often not known; another angle.

In the meantime, here is a bit of a humorous turn, helping to keep us all tuned-in to these important issues. If the last link – a video – doesn’t display properly, do open it; it’s brilliant!

Related articles

• Friday Funnies: Lessons in Resistance & Resilience of Plants, Animals & People (dianabuja.wordpress.com)
• New Research on Open Access and the “Superstar Effect” (publishing.umich.edu)
• “The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Poorer: The Effect of Open Access on Cites to Science Journals Across the Quality Spectrum” (digital-scholarship.org)

Notes on Dairy Goats and Artisan Cheese Production in Central Africa

Goats are ‘savings banks on the hoof’, providing economic security as well as manure for crops. Wikipedia

Dairy Animals & Traditional Dairy Production in Central Africa –A Brief Background

Cattle and goats are important components of small farm agriculture in Burundi, Rwanda and the eastern Congo.  Agriculturalists were the first migrants into the area, many hundreds of years ago.  Of West African Bantu origin, these  groups brought with them the Guinean strain of West African Dwarf goats.  Over hundreds of years, these goats have evolved into a taller, but still meat-based breed that is known as the Central African Goat.

A Central African Doe & her ½ Alpine buckling.

                         
During the 13-14th centuries, it is thought that groups of Nilotic tribesmen from the Northeast of Africa gradually migrated into the central African Highlands of Burundi, Rwanda and eastern Congo. These cattle-raising pastoralists brought their  long-horned Ankole cattle with them.

Ankole bull in downtown Kinshasa, Rwanda

Called the ‘cattle of kings’, the ownership of Ankole has traditionally been a mark of prestige, while also providing milk and  meat – particularly during ceremonial occasions.  Although rich in fat, Ankole milk  is often skimmed of its cream, which  is then either made into butter or yogurt, or given to other livestock. Because the local meat goat has poor milk production, goat milk has never  featured in local diets until the recent introduction of dairy goat breeds.  And even so, cheese of any kind is simply not a feature of local cuisine.

At the Ngozi artisan cheese facility in central Burundi, Ankole cows are used to haul fodder for the dairy goats, and are also milked for cheese production

Due to ease of care, size, fast reproduction, and decreasing availability of fodder, goats have become the most important livestock breed on small farms in Burundi.  Since the crisis and ensuing civil war of 1993 when 100,000’s of cattle were killed, many herds were moved to peri-urban areas where security is better.  There, they have been raised in semi-permanent stall arrangements, supplying meat and milk to urban populations.

Origins & Current Status of Cheese Production

Cheese production appears to have been introduced to the central African region by Italian and Belgian missionaries.  Although exact dates are unclear, this certainly occurred in Burundi and Rwanda by the time the Belgians took over the colony from the Germans in 1916.  After that time, increasing numbers of Belgians and other foreign nationals immigrated into the area in order to follow government, military or commercial interests.  Hence, cheese production went to supply the growing international communities.  Initial production was established in the central highlands of Burundi-Rwanda, where the climate is far more moderate than along the coastal areas of Lake Tanganyika.

Arrival of Belgians in Burundi in 1916, following the defeat of the Germans in WWI when their central African colonies were given over to the Belgians to administer. Collarta et Célis

Bugenyuzi Cheese Facility.  Due to tuberculosis, milk is always boiled. This cheese kitchen uses large charcoal stoves

Today in Burundi, cheese production continues to be organized by missionary groups, including the ‘The Little Apostles of Jesus’, who built an artisan cheese production center at Mutoi, in central Burundi.  They later developed a similar  cheese center in the neighboring province of Karuzi,whose kitchen and cheese room are show in these pictures.

Both of these installations rely on the purchase of cow milk from surrounding farms, and have also helped to improve dairy cattle farming in their areas.  However, as mentioned above, with the civil war of 1993 and ensuing decade of unrest, great numbers of cattle were lost.  Consequently, while cheese production has continued, it has been on a much reduced scale.

One of the stages of cheese pressing at the Bugenyuzi cheese facility

Cheese room at the Bugeyuzi cheese facility

Several artisan cheese producers – both private and mission-based – were also established to the west of Burundi, in the eastern Congo highlands, some decades ago.  In spite of civil war and unsettled conditions, several of these producers continue today.  In fact, some of the best cheese of central Africa comes from this area and can be found in the markets of Bujumbura – the capital of Burundi.

In the late 1970’s, the most ambitious artisan cheese production scheme of central Africa was established by the German development organization GTZ in the north of Burundi, in Ngozi Province.  The project aimed to establish small farmer dairy goat husbandry by importing German Alpine does and bucks and building an artisan cheese production facility.  For over two decades GTZ worked with Burundian counterparts to establish small farmer dairy goat associations to whom bucks were supplied for crossbreeding with the local goat so that an improved dairy goat breed could be developed.  These small farmers sold their goat, as well as cow milk to the scheme at guaranteed prices, and the milk was then processed into several different kinds of cheese.

Cattle whose milk is sold for cheese production at Ngozi are often zero-grazed and fed by cut-and-carry fodder grasses

The GTZ project faltered with the civil war and the departure of German technical assistance.  Although cheese production was continued on a much reduced scale, key supplies, technical training, and replacement animals could not be brought into the country and by 2000 remaining animals in the area were considered highly inbred.

Several years ago, the scheme was converted into a private enterprise with assistance from the European Union.  124 Saanen and Toggenburg dairy goats were imported, staff were trained, and cheese production was again on the increase.

Toggs & Saanens imported by the Ngozi project

Ngozi Weanlings & Exterior Mangers.Bucks will go to small farmer dairy goat associations

Artisanal cheese production at Ngozi is similar to that found elsewhere in central Africa in being totally independent of electrical supply.  Milk pasteurization takes place over wood or charcoal stoves, pressing is accomplished with the use of different sizes of stone tiles and concrete weights and using locally, hand-made wooden moulds.  Some of the artisan producers have constructed cheese caves but others only produce cheese seasonally, during the cool weather.

Cheese pressing at Ngozi using light weights

Cheese pressing at Ngozi using cement weights that have been specially made

The cheese cellar at Ngozi is about 40′ square and can accommodate a variety of cheeses

The cheese cave at Ngozi is about 20 feet underground

Sliced, local cheese from either Burundi or the Congo is always offered in the Breakfast Buffet at  the Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika

 

Input & Distribution Systems          

Rennet, thermometers, and other supplies and equipment are not locally available.  Artisan producers rely primarily on personal contacts to buy such items outside of the country and hand-carry them in.  By consequence, shortages sometimes persist for long periods and cheese production suffers accordingly.

Animals are milked once or twice daily into plastic buckets and the milk is first skimmed of cream and then delivered to

Vee Jay and an Improved Dairy Cow – milked into the blue, plastic bucket

intermediary merchants, cheese producers, or other distributors by foot or bike.  There are no milk cooling or regular delivery systems in the region.

Marketing of milk and cheese relies primarily on farmer-organized deliveries into urban centers, where it is hawked in markets or sold on to a few butchery and small grocery outlets.

Cheese and Olives Artisan cheese made in Burundi and in the Eastern Congo for sale at the ‘Boucherie Nouvelle’ in Bujumbura, Burundi. The butchery makes its own olives, feta, and a variety of sausages and other delicatessen items. – in addition to selling central African artisan cheeses

Some of the delicious pâtés and sausages made by the Boucherie Nouvelle

Problems & Opportunities   

Although cheese is not a part of traditional cuisine, populations in urban areas are increasingly turning to dairy products as a good source of protein.  As well, with the return of several 100,000 refugees to Burundi and the demobilization of ex-rebels and military following the signing of a peace accord, the dairy sector can provide urgently needed income to small farmers and artisan producers.

Major difficulties in meeting these demands for cheese producers include:

•  Lack of technical training & information
•  Lack of equipment and supplies
•  Lack of price information
•  Lack of transport and communication
•  Lack of market information & competitive  marketing channels

Difficulties facing dairy farmers are similar to those  above, but pertain to:

•  Dairy animal husbandry
• Handling of milk
• Sales of milk

Strategies for Goat Rehabilitation Projects

Due to the relative importance of goats in rehabilitating farms in the country, a number of NGO projects have been working to strengthen  smallholder goat production and to develop sustainable, market-based goat enterprises based on meat, dairy and other animal by-products.  Key activities include crossbreeding and herd improvement and restocking, generally with Boer meat goats and Alpine dairy goats, which are crossbred to local Central African Goats.

Improved husbandry has been met by training of goat farmers and animal technicians, as well as assessments of different aspects of the goat sector – activities in which I have – and continue to be involved together with NGOs, FAO, and scientists at the national agriculture research institute.

Serge with a new-born Alpine and some of the Project foundation stock brought from Kenya and used in our crossbreeding program

Related articles

• Burundi Song and Dance at The Hotel Club du Lac and Beyond (dianabuja.wordpress.com)
• Friday Funnies: Lessons in Resistance & Resilience of Plants, Animals & People (dianabuja.wordpress.com)

Friday Funnies – Somewhat Late (It’s the Cats’ Fault!)

Hectic weekend – sick cat and other related issues, so the cats will be featured today.

This is ‘Dough.’

H/T – Why Evolution is True (Jerry)

This is a video sent by Mateo, over at The Human Family .  It is his cat,  Scotty, who is Burkinabé (from Burkina Faso).  Check out his blog, too – lots of good stuff!

Well, better give the dogs a say:

Source: Duncan Green, OXFAM

Have a pleasant and relaxing Sunday – as we hope to do – chilling out by Lake Tanganyika:

The shores of Lake Tanganyika in front, with the Congo Hills in the background.

Related articles

• The Long Dry Season Comes to Central Africa (dianabuja.wordpress.com)

 

Radio COBAM: Information on climate change and its links with forests

See on Scoop.it

“Information on climate change and its links with forests are not readily available in Central Africa. The concept of climate change and its processes evolve so quickly that decision makers are hard pressed to keep up. In addition, most of the available information is disseminated through very selective channels (scientific journals, articles, newsletters, websites, etc.) that do not always reach a wider audience.

Radio remains the most accessible means of communication, because it is available to everyone and is relatively inexpensive.

“Changing seasons” is a CIFOR-COBAM radio program that adopts a debate format. It is broadcast monthly by the national radio station, Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV), which has nationwide coverage,exchanging information on climate change and its links with forests…

PHOTO: Cleared trees and ground-cover to grow bean crops is quickly denuding vast areas of eastern Burundi. As rain has decreased over the last decade+, natural growth simply does not regenerate. Photo credit: dianabuja

diana buja‘s insight:

The use of radio as an extension and communication tool can be an excellent method of linking up with local people and with extension and other relevant workers.  In much of rural Africa there is an information gap that, as here in Burundi and in the Congo, is pervasive due to war, unrest, and poverty.

However, to make it work, there are some necessary inputs – chief of which, as pointed out in the last blog post, is ongoing support for  the project *beyond* the 2 or 3 years of a grant.    Part of this work must involve networking and bringing on board relevant experts and policy folk in ministries of agriculture (etc) as well as government offices.  Without that, sustained operation may not occur.

Acacia senegal.  (Photo credit: Wiki)

Photo (left): A. Engler (ed.): Natürliche Pflanzenfamilien. Vol. III, 3.

 

In northern Sudan, I have seen villagers enjoying an excellent radio program focused on gum arabic trees (Acacia senegal & A. sayel) and related ground crops.  It was very much appreciated in the gum Arabic regions (south of El Obeid) in which I was working.

 

Here in Burundi, several years ago an international donor funded and mounted an educational radio station with links to about six major areas of the country.

I collaborated in developing a series of programs on small ruminant husbandry, an important topic given losses during the fighting, plus inbreeding and diseases – a logical next step after having completed a major assessment of the role of restocking and small ruminants in post-conflict reconstruction.  We received funding for this applied research program from AARNET-ILRI (the Animal Agriculture Research Network of the International Livestock Research Institute).

However, because key policymakers were apparently not committed to an educational radio station, and perhaps more importantly, because the country was not yet sufficiently at peace, the programming lapsed primarily into popular music.  A good lesson on the need for both interactive project design and for ongoing followup.

See on www.cifor.org

Related articles

• Helping the most vulnerable farmers adapt to climate change – lessons from a Farm Africa project (dianabuja.wordpress.com)
• Tropical forests said producing more flowers with climate change (upi.com)
• Q&A: ‘Traditional forest knowledge is not folklore, but a resource for change’ (intercontinentalcry.org)

Helping the most vulnerable farmers adapt to climate change – lessons from a Farm Africa project

See on – Africa and Beyond

By Jonathan Finnighan Helping the most vulnerable farmers adapt to climate change – lessons from a Farm Africa project The first thing that strikes me about Mwangangi’s farm is that it looks abando…

…The impact evaluation found that two-thirds of the farmers in the project are now using new micro-catchments on their farms, and about half started cultivating drought tolerant crops that they weren’t before. Crop yields from zai pits greatly improved, especially for farmers with very arid soils: many reported that their yields tripled or more. And on average, farmers estimated that their families had an additional month of food from their harvests after using the new farming methods, and that this allowed them to spend more money on things other than food – such as buying animals and farming inputs and improving their home.

diana buja‘s insight:

The zai pits described in this piece are indigenous to parts of the Sudanese Sahel.  They work quite well in water-stressed areas, and I’m glad to see them being introduced in Kenya.

Farm Africa has been doing some interesting work in east Africa.  More than many other NGOs, their follow-up over the longterm is generally quite good.  And that’s where many of the problems of improvements or new technologies being continued are located – lack of ongoing assessment and assistance beyond the two or three years of a project cycle.

See on ag4impact.wordpress.com

The Long Dry Season Comes to Central Africa

Our weather consists of two seasons: Rainy and Dry.  The latter, beginning in late June, lasts about three months, and the rainy season the rest of the year.  Well, there is also quite a short dry-ish season in December-January.

Here are a few pictures of our dry season:

A lovely doom palm (Hyphaena thebaica) in the nearby  Imbo Plain

Another morning, the same doom palm. Haze during the dry season is caused by dust. And, the best pictures are taken early in the morning.

A few of our goats, enjoying the early morning sun. The seeded grass provided excellent fodder.

In the village, oil palms are coming to fruit.

Close-up of an oil palm bunch. I’ll be doing a little blog about local oil palm production.

In the village, folks will gather some of their ripe crop products, or gather from the Imbo Plain – as here, a girl selling lemons that she gathered in the morning. Very micro-small enterprise and so difficult to capture in aggregate for studies on crops and local markets.  Fruit here is being sold by the bunch; most folks don’t have scales.

Dry season brings heavy winds in the afternoon, so wind surfing on Lake Tanganyika is quite a popular sport during the dry season.  This is the beach just down from us.

Friday Funnies: Lessons in Resistance & Resilience of Plants, Animals & People

Many plants are able to protect themselves from attack (being eaten) in different ways.  However, through domestication and/or use of pesticides and other protectors, plants may loose their natural defenses – their resistance and resilience – as these protective traits are no longer needed.  Here is an example with maize:

In a similarly way, the most important livestock breeds in central Africa – Central African Goats and Ankole cattle – exhibit unique resistance and resilience to a variety of tropical diseases and harsh climatic conditions. However, when these animals are crossbred with northern hemisphere breeds, which lack these protective traits, the resulting offspring exhibit higher rates of morbidity and mortality.

English: Bahima culture has at least 30 names to distinguish the different hide colours of Ankole cattle and many more to describe the different horn shapes. You can buy an entire book on the subject. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Good specimens of Central African Goats, in eastern Burundi. Waiting to be made into dinner.

One major difficulty in training and applied research in Africa is the generally dismal state of available literature regarding these elements.  It is, as the following video shows, often a question of Closed Access to most recent findings and resources – and this is why Open Access is so important in Africa and other developing areas:

During my years in Kenya, among other activities I participated in the SR-CRSP in western Kenya – the Small Ruminant Collaborative Research Support Program.  While the results of our applied research were readily available locally, means of ongoing dissemination through private or public channels were quite weak.  Consequently,  results in cross-breeding, husbandry, and health remained primarily in the reports, although regular workshops that included a variety of east African scientists disseminated results further.

Another major issue during the decade of its work (1980’s) involved the difficulty of incorporating social scientific data and environmental context with that of biological science, the unexamined attitude being that the former two were secondary to the latter.    That was 20+ years ago, and these problems are no longer as difficult.  But as Mike Nolan, Principal Investigator, exclaimed in 1989:

… We have helped raise the consciousness of colleagues outside the social sciences, demonstrating that the social sciences can and should make contributions beyond the roles traditionally assigned to them. Social science research can assist in implementing policies, programs or innovations, and at its best it can provide original data to help define and refine programmatic research objectives.

Further, we have played a major role in insisting that development efforts be contextualized in terms of the people they are meant to serve. We act as reminders to ourselves and to our colleagues that our aim is not to do research for the sake of research, but rather it is to help farm families live better lives…

Source: Nolan et al.-Sociology in the SR-CRSP: research highlights and dilemmas of participation

As mentioned, these issues are no longer so difficult, with researchers becoming more resilient and less resistant to dimensions of research not their own.  Hence, here in Burundi we’ve developed multidisciplinary approaches to identify smallholder livestock and cropping issues and related assessments, and some of the results from the SR-CRSP program have been quite useful.  One of the training courses that I held recently is briefly discussed below, with pictures.

However, the issue of ‘Closed Access’ to so many scientific findings available on the NET continues to haunt work not just here but in most of the countries in which I’ve worked in Africa and the Middle East.   But efforts to make data and related interchange more accessible are in progress.   Here is the way one global program that is working in genetic research with goats is currently addressing the issue of breed-environment interface in ways that may achieve global Open Access:

…participants … share data with goat researchers worldwide through a new project called ADAPTmap, a collaborative effort by universities and research laboratories to create a central database for trait and genetic information on goats. This “open data” resource will make it easier for scientific institutions in developing countries and around the world to use the most up to date information for research on the goat genome, in order to accelerate progress on breeding goats for increased climate resilience. Source: Genetic Research Aims to Build Climate Resilience in African Goats 

Another recently developed technology that is ‘Open Access’ is the FAMACHA system of managing haemonchosis [a type of internal parasite] in sheep and goats.  The system is easily understood by most smallholders and requires very little by way of technical input other than a brief training.  Dr. Bath and other colleagues at University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa, are the developers and have been most helpful in addressing some of our own difficulties working with small ruminants here in Burundi over the years.

A FAMACHA card being used to assess the level of anemia of a goat by visual examination of the inside of the lower eyelid. The color indicates the level of anemia, and therefore whether the animal is in need of treatment.  The color third from the left would need treatment, and fourth and fifth indicate extreme anemia.  This goat’s anemia (color) is in the ‘must treat’ zone.  Source: University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa

An Open Access article by Dr. Bath et al. explaining the system is available here: The FAMACHA system for managing haemonchosis in sheep and goats by clinically identifying individual animals for treatment.  As the authors state:

FAMACHA Charts (Photo credit: QueenieVonSugarpants)

The main benefits of the system are the reduction in treatments, its use for discriminating between animals of varying ability to cope with infection (thus allowing genetic selection), and its lowering of selection pressure on H. contortus for anthelmintic resistance … With sufficient training, clinical evaluation of anaemia was found reliable for practical use. The overwhelming majority of trainees (some poorly literate) were able to implement the FAMACHA© system successfully.

One of the interdisciplinary teams discussing a FAMACHA card. A training course with vets, vet. technicians, extension workers and lead farmers in improved goad husbandry methods,  supported by Lutheran World Services, eastern Burundi.

The same training session – one of the teams aging a goat by means of its teeth, following use of a FAMACHA card to determine degree of anemia.

So in bits and starts, and with a little humor, inroads to better crop and livestock practices are being made in ways that not only rely on sound research that is more easily accessed – but that also incorporates all key actors – including the smallholder – into the venture.

Related articles:

• Burundi Song and Dance at The Hotel Club du Lac and Beyond (dianabuja.wordpress.com)
• Livestock present Africa with huge – ‘right now!’ – opportunities for food, prosperity, environment (ilri.org)