Goat-based aid programme in Central Java: An effective intervention for the poor and vulnerable?

This study evaluated a goat-based aid programme developed to facilitate the recovery of vulnerable people in an earthquake affected area in Central Java, Indonesia. Farmers, organised in farmers’ groups, received a package of one male and four female goats. In total, 72 farmers from 6 farmers’ groups participated in this study. Farmers’ groups could be categorised as ‘successful’ or ‘failed’, based on the ability of members of farmers’ groups to repay their credit and to continue their goat keeping, and the continuation of the farmers’ group. Individual interviews and focus group discussions were used to explore factors affecting success and failure of the programme. Goat performances were determined by monitoring (re) production of 246 does over a period of 1.5 years. All farmers agreed that the goat-based aid programme was useful and, for the majority, it improved their economic situation. Being well prepared, experience in keeping animals, and the management practised were main internal factors for success of the programme. External factors were government support, land availability, and management of the farmers group. Animal factors were adaptability of the goats, low mortality rates and numbers of animals distributed to one farmer. All doe production performances parameters were significantly different between does kept by successful farmers group members and does kept by members of failed farmers groups. Successful farmers group members had 2.5 times higher value added from goats in the period that the credit was not yet settled and 1.4 times higher value added when the credit was settled than failed farmers group members. The goats based aid programme made a valuable contribution to the livelihoods of the majority of farmers in the disaster attacked area, in terms of economic results and social status. The initial assessment of the beneficiaries by the local government should have considered prior experience with livestock. The goats distributed were thoroughly screened by the donor. Nevertheless, the local government could have increased the commitment of the beneficiaries by giving them the opportunity to select the goats themselves, and by sanctioning farmers who failed to repay their goat credit