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Empowering Smallholder Farmers through Goat Value Chain Development

Goat farming plays a vital role in enhancing the livelihoods of marginal farmers in India. With a goat population 148.88 million (20th Livestock Census 2019) and contributing approximately 4% to India’s agricultural GDP (Source: National Sample Survey Office, 79th Round, 2024), it is a crucial sector for rural economies. Bihar, with its focus on rural and agricultural development, has significant potential for goat farming despite challenges such as poverty and infrastructure gaps.

The Bihar Livestock Master Plan 2018-19 to 2022-23 emphasizes that livestock, especially goats, are essential for achieving the state's development goals. Most of these goats are held by scheduled castes and marginalized women, who rear them in a traditional and subsistence manner. These disadvantaged groups, including landless laborers, find goats to be a more manageable and economically viable alternative to larger animals. Agriculture Today, in association with Passing Gifts (A subsidiary of Heifer International) will organize a workshop on 27th September 2024 at Bihar Agriculture Management & Extension Training Institute (BAMETI) Patna, with focus on empowering smallholder farmers through goat value chain development, with special emphasis on Bihar.

The event aims to bring together key stakeholders, experts, and community leaders to discuss innovative strategies and solutions that can enhance the productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers in the goat value chain. The special focus on Bihar underscores the importance of regional approaches in agricultural development, and how targeted interventions can lead to sustainable improvements in this vital sector. The event will see the participation of over 100+ dignitaries, including esteemed personalities such as state agriculture ministers, state animal husbandry minister, State rural development minster, heads of institutions, CEOs, farmer leaders and other key stakeholders from this specific sector.

The event would also see the Launch of Goat Livelihood Toolkit

In an effort to further enhance the impact of goat farming on poverty alleviation and livelihood opportunities, Passing Gifts a subsidiary of Heifer International with the support of GIZ, is set to launch Goat Livelihood Toolkit as part of its intervention strategy. These toolkits are being developed after thorough reviews of successful goat farming interventions under the ERADA (Empowering Rural Areas with Dairy Agriculture) initiative across multiple states in India. We are seeking support from the government to bolster our BSLD intervention and address the challenges encountered. This support will help us scale up our initiatives, expand our reach to more districts, and increase the number of families benefiting from improved goat farming practices.

About Us- Passing Gifts - A subsidiary of Heifer International

Passing Gifts - a subsidiary of Heifer International, offers a diverse range of services, including consulting, training, advisory, and technical support to individuals, associations, and organizations both in India and abroad. Our efforts aim to develop sustainable, scalable models that enhance livelihoods, increase incomes, and provide access to larger markets—ultimately promoting self-reliance, resilience, and stronger food systems in rural communities.

With a focus on social advancement and sustainable development, we collaborate with key stakeholders to deliver impactful solutions that create lasting social, environmental, and economic change. At the core, our work is the development of robust agricultural and livestock value chains. We prioritize supporting Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) across Bihar, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. With a proven record of transforming the lives of over 120,000 plus smallholder farmers across Bihar, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh, Passing Gifts excels in project design, management, research, and strategic consultancy.

With support from GIZ, we recently contributed to the “Enhancing Rural Resilience through Appropriate Development Action (ERADA)” project. As part of this initiative, we developed a comprehensive toolkit for goat farming, which includes a handbook for farmers and a detailed training manual. This toolkit consolidates best practices, policies, and strategies to strengthen goat-based livelihoods through collective action, addressing critical needs identified during project implementation.

About Agriculture Today

Indian Agriculture has been and continues to be the cornerstone of the Indian economy for thousands of years. It has played a crucial role in the gross economic growth of the nation and touches the lives of a major chunk of the country's population. In today's time, this sector holds considerable potential of stimulating growth. It has become one of the fastest growing sectors of the nation with the rapidly changing scenario of modern technologies. Agriculture Today Group, has been on the forefront of giving voice to the sector, creating opinions and awareness and providing platform for informed discussions and networking. The annual leadership summit is much awaited event for everyone involved in Indian agriculture. The Group, besides bringing out India's leading agriculture magazine, Agriculture Today, also hosts a number of policy, trade and knowledge events in partnership with the industry and institutions. The magazine covers the latest news and analysis of pressing agricultural issues of national and international importance. Over the last 25 years, Agriculture Today has emerged as the most trusted and admired agriculture magazines in the country.