Data for dairy farmers

Urban Africans have an increasing thirst for milk as well as a taste for dairy products. But although African farmers could supply much of their national needs, most milk and milk products are imported. Local farmers have been denied access to their urban markets by a lack of information which hampers their ability to compete with the imported products. This is the conclusion reached at a workshop on 'The Regional Exchange Network for Market Oriented Dairy Development' in Eastern and Southern African countries held in Harare, Zimbabwe from 4-8 December, 1995 by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Participants decided to provide this information through a network to be called Dairynet'. The network will be a forum to exchange information on the changes occurring within the dairy sector as a result of the deregulation of the economies of sub-Saharian Africa. It will also hold a gendersensitive database focusing on smallholder production and marketing systems, and will identify training opportunines. The coordinating centre is expected to be in Harare, Zimbabwe where all the information on dairy development, the failures as well as the successes, will be collected and subsequently disseminated to participating countries for use in planning and development. Focal points established in the participating countries will act as collecting points, sending information to the centre and receiving answers to farmers queries. A Regional Steering Committee will plan the network during 1996. It is hoped that the FAO will fund the first 4-5 years after which the member countries will run it themselves. If' Dairynet' functions as anticipated, the benefits will not only be felt by the farmers but also by the consumers who will get fresh milk and a wider range of products at a cheaper price. Animal Health and Production Division: FAO Viale delle Terme di Corocollo 00 100 Rome ITALYworkshop on 'The Regional Exchange Network for Market Oriented Dairy Development' in Eastern and Southern African countries held in Harare, Zimbabwe from 4-8 December, 1995 a network to be called Dairyne