Introduction
Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ) is one of the modules of the government’s flagship agricultural program christened Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ). The RFJ is a five-year programme running from 2019 to 2023.
Objective
The objective of the RFJ is to develop a competitive and more efficient livestock industry that increases domestic production, reduces importation of livestock products and contributes to employment generation and to the improvement of livelihoods of livestock value chain actors and the national economy. This module was officially launched by H. E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo at Wa in the Upper West Region on June 25th, 2019.
It is also aimed at addressing issues associated with livestock development in the country including, but not limited to;
- poor genetic quality of breeds used by farmers;
- poor nutrition and inadequate water resources for livestock;
- animal health;
- poor and inadequate livestock housing structures/equipment;
- inadequate agricultural extension service and
- developing and promoting the livestock value chain.
Targeted Species
This campaign is designed to address these identified bottle-necks along five (5) key value chains which are:
- sheep;
- goats;
- pigs;
- poultry and
- dairy cattle.
Components of RFJ
The RFJ is modeled around seven (7) key components which are:
Component 1: Breeding Improvement
Component 2: Feed and Water Resource Development
Component 3: Application of Technologies (Housing Structures, Plant and Equipment)
Component 4: Disease Control and Surveillance (Animal Health)
Component 5: Processing and Marketing
Component 6: Commercial Livestock Production
Component 7: Infrastructure Support
Programme area and target group
The programme covers all the sixteen (16) regions of the country targeting value chain actors along the five (5) selected species.
Implementation Approach
The adopted approaches aim to:
- motivate livestock farmers and other livestock value-chain actors to use input and output markets.
- create employment opportunities along the selected commodities’ value chains especially for the youth.
Motivating Tools
The program focuses on providing:
- breeding stock of sheep, goats and pigs for selected beneficiary farmers under a credit-in-kind scheme payable within two (2) years for onward transfer to other livestock farmers;
- subsidy for the cost of inputs for
- large scale commercial broiler and guinea fowl production.
- small scale backyard layer and cockerel production.
- complementary services such as Husbandry and Veterinary Services as well as Marketing of outputs.
- artificial insemination (A.I) services for dairy cattle farmers.
Implementation so far
- Cockerel Model: A total of 72,967 cockerels brooded for 6 weeks have been distributed to 729 small holder farmers (with at least 30% female farmers) in 166 MMDAs in 16 regions. The price of the cockerels was subsidized 50 percent for all beneficiary farmers.
- Small Ruminant Model: Beneficiary farmers (810 in all; with at least 30% female farmers) from 49 MMDAs in 6 regions (Northern, Savanna, Oti, North East, Upper West and Upper East) have been supplied with 8,100 sheep. The stock supplied are payable in kind (with an interest of one for each animal received) within two years.
- Pig Model: A total of 400 pig farmers (with at least 30% female farmers) in the Western North, Ashanti and Volta have been supplied with 2,000 pigs payable in kind (with an interest of two for each animal received) within two years.
- Broiler Model: This was done on a pilot basis with a total of 25 poultry farmers in 3 MMDAs. They selected farmers were supplied with 43,183 day old chicks (with 50 percent subsidy). The work done under this piloted project is currently under review.
Pending (2021)
- Guinea Fowl Model: A total of 260 commercial guinea fowl farmers (with at least 40% female farmers) have been earmarked to receive 130,000 birds raised for 2 weeks. The cost of the birds is subsidized by 50 percent for all beneficiary farmers in some selected MMDAs;
- Layer Production Model: A total of 1,200 women small holder farmers will be selected from 18 MMDAs in 6 regions. They will be supplied with 144,000 pullets and 120 battery cages with 120 bird capacity. The cost will be 50 percent subsidized with payment spread for a period of one year.
- Pig Model: A total of 2,000 pig farmers (with at least 30% female farmers) selected from 76 MMDAs in 9 regions (Western, Bono, Volta, Bono East, Ashanti, Greater Accra, Ahafo, Central and Eastern) will be supported with 10,000 pigs payable in kind (with an interest of two for each animal received) within two years. An additional 8,000 pigs have been earmarked for procurement and subsequent distribution to other farmers this year.
- Small Ruminant Model: Some 1,400 beneficiary farmers (with at least 30% female farmers) has been selected from 32 MMDAs in 6 regions (Northern, Savanna, Oti, North East, Upper West and Upper East). The selected farmers will be supplied with 14,000 sheep and goats. The stock supplied are payable in kind (with an interest of one for each animal received) within two years.
- Broiler Model: A total of 5 million broilers day old chicks has been earmarked for production this year
- Kuroiler/cockerels model: A total of 20,000 cockerels would be procured and brooded for 6 weeks for onward distribution to farmers this year.