IFAD News

Milk is one of the most widely produced agri-products on the planet. It’s also a crucial source of income for at least 500 million poor people, who depend on milk for their livelihoods.

As much as 80 per cent of the milk in South Asia comes from small-scale farms. That’s why IFAD works across the region to help small-scale dairy farmers optimize their production.

There are, however, significant challenges. On average, farming families in the region can only afford one to two dairy animals per household, which leaves little for sale after they have set aside milk for their own needs. And when they do have excess, they’ve often nowhere to sell it because of limited market access. They’re also confronted with limited credit and training, poor access to inputs, like feed, and low labour productivity.

Nothing goes to waste

Such was the case for Tasleem Bano in Chikas, northern Pakistan. When she happened to have extra milk, she had to throw it away, as she had nowhere to sell or store it.

Then, in 2017, she heard of the Economic Transformation Initiative, an IFAD-funded project that ensured the collection of milk from farmers’ doorsteps twice a day, in addition to teaming up with a private sector partner and setting up nearby collection centres, where farmers like Tasleem could sell excess milk.

“Now instead of it being wasted, I can sell the excess milk,” says Tasleem. “The extra money I make from this helps with various household expenses. I can also pay my children’s school fees.”

See https://www.ifad.org/en/web/latest/-/let-s-raise-a-glass-to-south-asia-s-dairy-farmers