In 2017 Jersey Overseas Aid announced a two-year project to train dozens of artificial insemination technicians in Rwanda with the aim of breeding tens of thousands of cross- and pure-blood Jersey cows in the impoverished African nation.
The relatively small Jersey cow is known for its high milk yields compared to its low food intake and a breeding programme was first launched in Rwanda in 2005 to help farmers produce greater levels of high-quality milk.
Following the success of the latest programme, International Development Minister and JOA chairwoman Deputy Carolyn Labey said that the work was being extended to two other nations – Malawi and Ethiopia.
‘The Jersey cow in Africa has helped bring villages and thousands of people out of poverty,’ she said.
‘It’s an extremely efficient animal. Because it is small it doesn’t require as much fodder as other breeds and its milk yields are really high. And our milk is not just white water – it is high in nutrients and calcium.
‘We started really small in 2005 with one artificial insemination technician going down to Rwanda to show them all how it works.
‘When I took over Overseas Aid I thought that the project worked really well – not only was it fantastic for Rwanda and relieving poverty there, but it was also fantastic for Jersey and the Jersey cow, which I believe is the Island’s best ambassador.
‘So I decided to expand it and we are now investigating doing more with this project. Rwanda was a great country to start in and we have been so successful there that we are now moving into Malawi and Ethiopia.’
Deputy Labey said that not only had the Jersey cow helped provide more milk and nutrition in Rwanda, it had also helped ease tensions between rival households in the villages.
‘In Rwanda the cow is highly cherished and so is milk. You would never leave a cup of milk and not drink it there,’ she said.
‘When we were doing the project the president of the country said that for every calf born in the village, everyone should identify a rival household to give it to.
‘Doing that helped unify the villages as well as helping to get them out of poverty and provide nutrition.’
The JOA is currently aiming to help artificially inseminate 85,000 cows a year, which it claims will see a Jersey cow or Jersey cross-breed be born every hour over the next three years.
It is hoped that this will provide enough milk for families so they do not have to forage for food, also giving children enough energy and time to attend school.
