Internship offer:
Study of the meat sector of livestock farmers' cooperatives in the Musungwa chiefdom: Current situation and proposals for development
Localisation: Itezhi-Tezhi District, Zambia.
● The Melindika Association
Melindika is a French association under the 1901 law, created by two veterinarians in 2016. Its goal is to promote rural development by supporting smallholder livestock farming through the implementation of skills specific to the fields of livestock farming and good natural resource management in the communities bordering Kafue National Park in Zambia. For more information on the Melindika association's projects, visit www.melindika.org
● The context
With 30% of its total area recognized as a protected area, Zambia is home to a rich biodiversity, with typical flora and fauna. Kafue National Park, created in 1950 with the dual purpose of commercial development and wildlife conservation, is now the source of numerous conflicts with local communities: poaching, agricultural encroachment, livestock grazing in protected areas, and bush fires. This is the case in the Musungwa chiefdom, which is an important livestock farming area on the southeastern border of the park.
● The “Cows and Lions” Project
The “Cows and Lions” project is a continuation of the Community Veterinary Project (PCV) initiated by the international solidarity association Melindika in 2016. The PCV was created following an agricultural assessment carried out by veterinary doctor Victoire Delesalle, founder of Melindika. After six months of immersion in the Musungwa chiefdom, the assessment highlighted the importance of cattle herds within the Ila ethnic group, as they are a form of capital and provide financial security. The sale of cattle can finance various family projects (children's school fees, dowries, etc.) or cover significant unexpected financial expenses. The assessment also highlighted the following observation: there is an urgent need to reconcile the needs of disadvantaged rural populations with the need to protect the local flora and fauna of Kafue National Park. The priority need raised by the Musungwa communities was to improve the health of their herds so that farming families could make a sustainable living from livestock farming, as an alternative to poaching animals in Kafue National Park. Since 2017, the project has enabled 350 farming families to benefit from local veterinary services: a network of animal health assistants (selling medicines and providing veterinary consultations), vaccination campaigns, animal health training for livestock farmers and assistants, animal health research programs, and technical support services for livestock farming.
In response to growing conflicts between humans and wildlife and with a view to continuing to support livestock farmers in moving towards more sustainable farming practices, Melindika launched the “Lions and Cows” project in 2021. The project aims to contribute to the harmonious coexistence of humans and wildlife for agro-pastoralists living on the edge of Kafue National Park in Zambia. Three areas of action have been identified:
- Coexistence between livestock and predators
- Community management of pastoral resources
- Empowerment of decentralized veterinary services
In order to support the development of income-generating activities, Melindika also wishes to broaden its scope of action and support livestock farmers in promoting livestock products. In 2023, livestock cooperatives were created in various villages to prepare for this restructuring. Following several studies on the dairy sector between 2021 and 2023, which concluded that it was logistically and technically impossible to develop this sector, Melindika wishes to strengthen its knowledge of the meat sector. Today, livestock farmers sell individually and have little bargaining power when selling their animals. Melindika is considering the feasibility of better structuring this sector by integrating the previously created livestock farmers' cooperatives.
● The internship
o Overall objective of the mission
Conduct a study on the meat sector in the Musungwa chiefdom and support the integration of cooperatives within this sector for the marketing of various products.
Specific objectives
1/ Bibliography prior to the fieldwork and potential meetings in the capital
● Analysis of the cattle sector and industry in Zambia: characteristics of the sector, main players, market potential, study of consumer demand and preferences;
● Study of health regulations related to the entire meat sector;
● Study of the various farmers' organizations already present in the meat sector in the region;
● Design of the protocol and methodology chosen for the fieldwork.
2/ Field study:
● Study of the potential of cattle farms in the Musungwa chiefdom: Evaluation of the annual production of existing cooperatives, study of the strengths and weaknesses of the cooperatives' beef cattle farming as well as the potential and threats to the sector, study of the health aspects that come into play in the development of the meat sector;
● Study of the meat sector within the Musungwa chiefdom and market opportunities at the district, provincial, national, and international levels: Study of the actors in the sector and their actions. Study of market opportunities for cooperative farmers (actors, intermediaries, prices, volume, frequency).
● Reflection on the structuring of the sector and the integration of existing cooperatives. What collaborations should be developed with existing actors? Is infrastructure needed? Should changes to farming methods be considered? If so, which ones? What strengths and threats does this imply?
3/ Drafting:
● Drafting of the sector study and proposal for a program to develop the beef sector of the Musungwa chiefdom cooperatives.
o Methodology: The methodology is to be proposed by the person in charge of the study. However, it must use several data collection methods: bibliographic study and interviews (questionnaires, working groups, and individual interviews).
● Positioning of Melindika
Located on the edge of a national park, all Melindika projects are based on the principle of “integrated conservation,” according to which strong involvement of local communities in the development of natural resources and the conservation of biodiversity will guarantee sustainable and controlled rural development and conservation.
We are therefore not seeking to create new intensive agricultural activities, but rather to support and develop existing ones on the edge of the park, in keeping with the traditions of the Ila tribe (local breeds, transhumance, low beef consumption, low productivity) and local resources (exclusive grazing on communal grazing areas) surrounding Kafue Park. The entire feasibility study and the resulting marketing model must therefore be carried out in accordance with these values.
● Required profile
This assignment is intended for a student with a background in animal husbandry/related studies who wants to do an internship as part of a volunteer assignment. An internship agreement may be signed for the two months of fieldwork. This may be a student on a compulsory internship or a gap year. A basic knowledge of maintenance methods or the use of participatory tools would be an advantage.
o Required qualifications
- Driver's license or comfort with riding as a passenger on a motorcycle.
- Ability and willingness to adapt: given the cultural differences that may be encountered in the implementation of projects, it is essential to be positive and open-minded when discovering these differences.
- Curiosity, an interest in different experiences, and open-mindedness are assets for the successful completion of this project.
- Good communication skills and an interest in working within an international team, which involves listening and respecting people and cultural differences.
- A good level of written and spoken English is an advantage for communicating effectively with the local team.
- Good writing skills.
- Experience in Africa or with an NGO working in rural development would be a plus.
-
Location and duration
The entire assignment will take approximately four months to complete.
The assignment is divided into two parts:
- Bibliographic research and writing of final reports: approximately two months (remote work). Free organization of bibliographic work before departure for the field (estimated time: approximately 1 month) and writing of summaries after return from the field (estimated time: approximately 1 month).
- Conducting surveys of local populations and local actors. 2 months in the field, with two possible periods depending on the intern's availability, between May and July or between September and November.
Shandavu Camp is located 370 km from Lusaka (approximately 6 hours by car) and 30 km (45 minutes by car) from the nearest town, Itezhi-Tezhi. The camp is located in the middle of the Zambian bush, 6 km from Kafue National Park (locatable on Google Maps at Shandavu Camp).
o Accommodation
Accommodation at Shandavu Camp, tent or traditional house with solar electricity + outdoor bathroom + dry toilets. Wood-fired kitchen and communal dining room with all project managers, volunteers, and local staff (approximately 8 people). Unique living environment in the middle of the bush, African experience and guaranteed change of scenery.
o Salary
To be discussed based on experience.
