Income diversification is important for dairy farmers to prevent against economic shocks within the dairy industry, whether they be climate related or financial (i.e., issues with cashflow).
In practice, diversification means drawing an income from two or more sources rather than from just one job.
A good example of this is how silage entrepreneurs in Liteta and Fisenge are now running chopper businesses using an operating cost business model developed by the ZDTP in conjunction with cooperative members.
The chopper business model used by both Liteta Dairy Cooperative Union and Grafali Youth Group in Fisenge, as well as individual farmers in Fisenge, has also been successfully promoted to World Vision, which has purchased choppers for dairy cooperatives in Southern Province for integration into its own dairy programme.
Grafali Youth Group, which was established in 2017 with the aim of bringing youth farmers together in Luanshya and boasts 36 members, was supported by the ZDTP to develop a forage chopper business using a chopper donated by the Dairy Association of Zambia (DAZ).
After linking the group with farmers that needed a chopper, ZDTP Regional Extension Officer Wesley Chilambe coached members on the efficient running, repair and maintenance of the machine itself.
Money generated from the chopper service has proved beneficial for income diversification – for example, some was used to invest in a village chicken ‘pass on’ programme and some was used to cultivate maize and soya beans.