An awareness programme on Animal Feed Management for Livestock and Financial Literacy was held at the Rural Experience Center (REC), Longleng on March 20. The programme was supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Customized Energy Solutions Foundation (CESF) in collaboration with Community Care and Empowering Society (CCES) and SCK, Investment Development Association of Nagaland (IDAN)
The programme saw the participation of livestock rearer from the region, who showed keen interest in improving their livestock practices.
The programme began with a welcome note by Mr. Tialemba Phom, Executive Secretary of PBCA and Founder of CCES, who highlighted the importance of livestock in strengthening rural livelihoods and stressed the need for proper financial management while undertaking livestock-related activities.
Lakum C. Chang from CES Foundation also spoke during the programme on livelihood opportunities and solutions for rural communities. He emphasized the importance of adopting proper techniques and methods to improve productivity in both farm and non-farm livelihood activities. He spoke on Rural Experience Center (REC), explaining how it was established and how interested individuals can visit the center to experience different technologies available there. He encouraged participants to make use of the facilities and technologies at the center for their productive and livelihood-related activities and if needed can assist in procuring them and to make productive use of the knowledge and skills gained through such programmes and apply them in their daily livelihood practices.
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During the technical session, Akum, Consultant for the Feed Value Chain, and founder of Ecostarch delivered session on the importance of proper livestock feed and its role in improving animal health and productivity. He explained how livestock feed can be prepared using locally available raw materials, helping farmers reduce costs while ensuring better nutrition for their animals. He also spoke about common livestock diseases, their causes, and how they can be managed using locally available resources, along with preventive care and basic management practices that farmers can adopt to keep their animals healthy.
The session generated active participation from the attendees, with many farmers raising questions and sharing their experiences. Participants also expressed interest in learning more practical aspects of feed preparation and requested that a separate hands-on session be organized where feed-making techniques could be demonstrated.
Another session was conducted by Alem, Center Manager at SCK, IDAN spoke on financial literacy and highlighted the availability of loans for livestock-related activities through Chief Minister Micro Finance Initiative (CMMFI). He also discussed some of the challenges farmers face in accessing and managing credit, while encouraging participants to improve their financial awareness and planning.
The programme helped participants gain a better understanding of proper livestock feed management, disease prevention, and the use of locally available materials for feed preparation. It also increased awareness about financial literacy and available loan options for livestock activities. The discussions created interest among participants to adopt improved livestock management practices and highlighted the need for more practical and hands-on training in the future.
The programme aimed to strengthen the knowledge of livestock rearer/farmers and support them in improving productivity and livelihood opportunities through better feed practices, feed technologies and financial awareness and linkage.
