I welcome you to the Fifth issue of our quarterly newsletter – Talking Goats and Pigs, I hope you have had a fruitful start to the year 2021. In February 2021, the project entered its third year of implementation amidst a nationwide lockdown induced by the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I am happy to note that the team managed to keep the ball rolling during this period and recorded notable achievements namely, the importation of pig Artificial Insemination equipment for the two private sector integrators, initiating farmer interface meeting and cross cutting look and learn visits, finishing construction at some of the goat improvement centres and operationalizing the farmer associations.

To reduce the information gap among small and medium producers, we continue to work closely with government departments (Agritex and VET) and the Pig Industry Board to provide pluralistic extension services to farmers. During this period, we produced several manuals to guide farmers in their quest for commercialisation. In this issue, we highlight the work we undertook during the first quarter of the year, showcase project impact on some of the project participants and offer tips to farmers on good animal husbandry. I hope you find this latest offering useful and informative.

Newton Chari - VALUE Project Team Leader