Enhancing Livelihoods through Sustainable Piggery

The Rabbit Project has been an exciting journey towards sustainable agriculture and income generation for smallholder farmers. While the project has shown potential, we are facing significant challenges that need to be addressed for the initiative to reach its full impact.

High Mortality Rate Among Baby Rabbits
One of the primary challenges has been the frequent loss of baby rabbits. Despite the efforts of our farmers and ongoing monitoring by our team, the survival rate of baby rabbits remains low. This issue has created setbacks in meeting the project’s goal of expanding rabbit populations among farmers to promote sustainable benefits such as manure production and income generation.

Engaging Experts for Support
Recognizing the gravity of the challenge, we sought the assistance of an expert in rabbit rearing. In October 2024, a series of refresher trainings were organized to address the following key areas:

1. Ensuring that rabbit housing provides adequate protection from predators, extreme weather, and overcrowding.
2. Identifying early signs of common rabbit illnesses and implementing preventative measures.
3. Understanding the dietary needs of nursing mothers and young rabbits to promote growth and immunity.
4. Managing male and female rabbits during critical periods to prevent injuries to baby rabbits.

Outcome of Training
While the training sessions were well-received, the changes in baby rabbit survival have been minimal. Farmers report ongoing challenges, including baby rabbits are highly susceptible to infections and other health problems, wild cats attacking the rabbits and some mother rabbits not waiting to breastfeed their young ones.

Given the persistent challenges, we are taking the following steps to address the situation:

1. Our team will work closely with farmers to provide hands-on support and identify gaps in practice that could affect rabbit survival.
2. Encouraging farmers with higher success rates to share insights and best practices with their peers.
3. Creating tailored and practical resources to address specific challenges faced by farmers.

It is important to note that, despite these difficulties, the farmers have shown incredible resilience and determination to make the project work. Their willingness to learn, adapt, and persevere through challenges is commendable.

We are grateful for the continued support of our stakeholders and will keep you updated as we work towards overcoming these challenges.