Herding for Sustainable Futures

Our Sustainable Herding Initiative is one of RAIN's most beloved programs in Niger. We currently have 6 herding groups across our partner communities and plan to expand in the coming year. As with all RAIN’s programs, we leverage education to bring not just one-time resources but valuable skills and knowledge to transform communities over time.

Goat herding is a traditional practice that combined with RAIN’s training can help generate much needed income and food security. RAIN provides participants with three female goats and one male goat, vaccinations for the herd, and training in sustainable animal health and husbandry and basic business skills. We also provide training in long-term strategy and problem-solving for herd growth/maintenance for business.  Finally, the process reinforced participants belief in themselves that over time they can set and achieve goals as a group. For example, this year, Fatima fulfilled her childhood dream of buying a long-eared Fulani goat from Zinder, a town more than 500 km from Aouderas. 

Over the course of the first four years, the women cultivate their herd and sell the kids of the original goats. They also retain the livestock products – milk, yogurt, and cheese – for nutrition, which is important as families without herds are forced to buy more expensive powered milk. By the fourth year, herds reach a sustainable size and the program becomes self-sustaining. Importantly, SHI builds trust by demonstrating RAIN’s commitment to the community’s success through a tangible, familiar investment – goats.

In the coming year, we’re starting two new herding groups in Aouderas and Betermatas and will use the opportunity to formalize a training manual to standardize the program and make replicability easier for future scaling. We hope you'll support RAIN as we grow this program!