Through the relationship developed with Lincoln University in Missouri, the University of Minnesota joined with Bunda College of Agriculture in Malawi to write a University Development Linkage Project.  The goal of the project is to design and implement a series of activities that will meet the need for children to be better nourished.  The project introduces dairy goats and the necessary knowledge and skills regarding management, production, milk handling, and child nutrition to rural women in Malawi.  The principle is to have a relatively low-input resource available to treat and prevent child undernourishment and malnourishment.

The project will:

• develop a database of production and biological characteristics of goats
• import dairy goats for cross-breeding programs
• develop a series of demonstrations and extension programs for smallholder(women and children) focusing on improvements of milk and meat production
• use community health workers to plan programs for mothers to explain to incorporate goat meat and milk into weaning foods and into the diets of children under 5
• monitor growth rates of children whose mothers are participants to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in addressing the problem of childhood malnourishment.

Funding:
U.S. Agency for International Development