Jeevika launches two-year Dhenu Dhara dairy project
Jeevika launched Project Dhenu Dhara in Bihar on Tuesday in partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation. A workshop in Patna brought together senior representatives of both organisations to discuss the programme’s design, objectives and implementation arrangements.
The project is directed at small and marginal dairy farmers and will begin in Nalanda and Muzaffarpur. Its stated targets are an increase of up to 10% in milk output and a rise of as much as 20% in the incomes of small dairy farmers. The programme is scheduled to run for two years.
Nutrition and livestock care
Dhenu Dhara will promote locally relevant and scientific methods of managing dairy animals. Its activities will cover feeding, animal health and community-based livestock services, with the aim of improving the conditions in which farmers produce milk.
The National Dairy Development Board will provide technical assistance. Its role will include support for farm-level nutrition and healthcare practices. The programme will promote the Ration Balancing Programme, which helps farmers determine suitable quantities and combinations of nutrients, as well as Ethno-Veterinary Medicine practices.
Another stated objective is to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics in dairy animals through preventive care and appropriate management. The project will also seek to shorten the animals’ dry period, the interval when they are not producing milk. The source notes that results will vary according to factors including animal health, breed and management.
Women’s community role
About 200 trained women pashu sakhis will work directly with farming communities. They will advise farmers on animal feeding, ration balancing, healthcare and ethno-veterinary methods, while providing livestock-related services at community level. Jeevika also identifies this work as a livelihood opportunity for women involved in local animal-care services.
Vinay Kumar Rai, Jeevika’s director for enterprise, said the initiative would seek to raise productivity and incomes while reinforcing community-based livestock services. The programme combines Jeevika’s community network with the Aga Khan Foundation’s technical expertise, with NDDB providing additional technical support.
