The Goat Trust is works across value chain of Goat based products. We promote small livestock (Goat/sheep/ Backyard birds rearing) based livelihood through demystifying production technology, building institutions and promoting standard of marketing and linkage across the globe. With our unique business model for each goat-based product the social entrepreneurs associated with us generate revenue It is mandated to grow as a resource organization to work on development of small livestock farming systems, technologies and market development through collaboration and networking with various stakeholders.
The Present concept of The Goat Trust and Pashu Sakhi model had seen genesis in PRADAN days of Founding Trustee Shri Sanjeev Kumar. While he was working with PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action) in Rajasthan on dairy based livelihoods in 1998, certain field experiences and realities made him to get attracted to goat based livelihoods. In fact he was engaged with promotion of Self Help group and linkage with banks for financial intermediation and initiating dairy based livelihoods. However it was soon realized that dairy based livelihoods had certain problems which restricts poor in dry land and drought prone areas. Due to drought, productivity of dairy cows had gone extremely low and maintenance cost became unaffordable for poor women farmers. In same context existing goats with target farmers performed well and were found to yield more than 1 liter milk per day in comparatively almost 25% input cost. Women on discussion repeatedly confirmed that goats are low cost animals and can be managed well even in drought conditions. However major problems were shared on proneness to diseases and mortality.
We are professional resource organisation working on development of small livestock farming systems, technologies and market development through collaboration and networking with various stakeholders. We promote small livestock (Goat/sheep/ Backyard birds rearing) based livelihoods by demystifying production technology, building institutions and promoting marketing standards of small ruminants based products with an aim to generate monetary and non-monetary value for social entrepreneurs associated with us.
Genesis and Journey The Present concept of The Goat Trust and Pashu Sakhi model had seen genesis in earlier days of Founding Trustee Shri Sanjeev Kumar. While working with PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action) in Rajasthan on dairy based livelihoods in 1998, he was engaged with promotion of Self Help Groups and bank linkage for financial intermediation and initiating dairy based livelihoods. However dairy based livelihoods in dry land and drought prone areas had issues such as affordability, livestock maintenance and declining animal productivity which restricted farmers’ income. Alternatively, goat based farming yielded comparatively well for 25% of input cost of traditional dairy farming. It was, thus, established after discussing with community, that goats suit well to the dry climate as well as the pocket of marginalised farmers.
We work on small livestock based livelihoods with goat and backyard bird farming as central support activity. Some of major theme for our work had been -
The Present concept of The Goat Trust and Pashu Sakhi model had seen genesis in PRADAN days of Founding Trustee Shri Sanjeev Kumar. While he was working with PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action) in Rajasthan on dairy based livelihoods in 1998, certain field experiences and realities made him to get attracted to goat based livelihoods. In fact he was engaged with promotion of Self Help group and linkage with banks for financial intermediation and initiating dairy based livelihoods. However it was soon realized that dairy based livelihoods had certain problems which restricts poor in dry land and drought prone areas. Due to drought, productivity of dairy cows had gone extremely low and maintenance cost became unaffordable for poor women farmers. In same context existing goats with target farmers performed well and were found to yield more than 1 liter milk per day in comparatively almost 25% input cost. Women on discussion repeatedly confirmed that goats are low cost animals and can be managed well even in drought conditions. However major problems were shared on proneness to diseases and mortality.
In Year 2001, an experiment with 26 Goat farmers were started, wherein bank linkages was provided for goat purchase in same village. Acceptance was found high with poor and very poor families and business plan showed significant return in next three years. However it was realized proper and regular access to improved practices and first aid holds key as in next rainy and winter season, significant mortality was observed (Due to bank loans Insurance coverage was there) but it took significant time to regain confidence of community on goat farming. Some of families have lost goats due to high ecto- parasite infestations even and calling vet was really difficult at each time.
Emanating problem led Mr Sanjeev Kumar to experiment with an idea to train some local youths to be able to perform basic management practices like castration, deworming, vaccination, tagging and basic record keeping. Program had high effect on goat mortality and disease prevention as now every time we did not had to go to field and arrange Veterinary professionals. Each trained person had been provided herbal medicine kit and linked with local dairy and veterinary hospital. Even if mortality and morbidity was checked to a great extent, problem remained in terms of high cost and consumption of medicines. First problem encountered was high drop outs as each trained person aspired to earn significantly but poor goat farmers were unable to pay high cost and we had high vigilance on costing of services. Second problem was very frequent medication and high travel cost of surviving service provider. It was noted that male with certain service attitude and partly dependent on this (Had some other main source of liveloihoods like shop in village) only survived and that too focus was on treatment. Unfortunately management concept although shared but not propagated by trained male person as it was evident that one he did not wanted to go each Goat house and observe and share management concept and second he was afraid it will work against his own income and respect earned in the village. However earning through services, respect in the village (due to serving critical need) and outcome in terms of mortality and morbidity reduction remained with Mr Sanjeev Kumar even when he left PRADAN to join an Entrepreneurship development & training institution. It was strong realization after exposure to some institutions like Nimbkar Agriculture Research Institute, Phaltan (Where Sanjeev received training on artificial insemination in goats in 2003) and Rural Agriculture Institute, Narayangaon (RAIN) that pro poor technologies and approach to work with poor goat farmers are too scattered and integrated service model had been scarce. Need of a dedicated institution to work on pro poor model with all resources available and consolidated had been further strengthened after significant explorations at various institutions and field work.
He worked at Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) for next three years but goat and concept of service provider remained in his vision for almost three years in dormant but deeply rooted stage. Passion grew in such a strong way that finally in last part of 2006 he submitted his resignation to dedicatedly work on issues of goat based livelihoods.
Almost on similar time an experiment was initiated at Ibtada (A Alwar based NGO working on women empowerment and education) with women as service provider for livestock based livelihoods. It was found that women trained was much happier and were extending services more religiously. That founded the idea of systematizing this whole concept and standardising this process. Mr Sanjeev Kumar had undertaken an assignment of assessing goat production system in eastern Rajasthan and had undertaken field work in Dholpur and Alwar districts. Extensive interactions and discussions with goat farmers further convinced him, need of services in decentralized and community affordable and accessible way is only answer to provide basic services.
In 2007, Mr Sanjeev Kumar expressed views that concept has high relevance for small livestock and a standardization and systematic approach can help in scaling up. Founder Trustee of Ibtada and one of founding Trustee Mr Rajesh Singhi expressed consent and shared opinion to build a organization exclusively for goat based livelihoods and that was beginning of idea of The Goat Trust taking practical shape.
In the meantime Mr. Sanjeev Kumar for The Livelihood School developed a detailed manual on livestock based livelihoods promotion and got involved in developing faculty for facilitating sessions. He later on conducted over 17 trainings in 8 states with various agencies on goat based livelihoods and interacted with significant number of goat farmers. Each day and after each visit idea go stronger and stronger. As a free lance consultant apart from supporting Ibtada to streamline goat based livelihoods and taking up new initiatives like Buck entrepreneur, goat milk value addition studies, loan based quality goat farming, he conducted over 12 project assessment and field studies on dairy and goat based livelihoods and developed an orientation training module.
In 2008, he undertook an assignment with Micro Insurance Academy (MIA) of risk assessment in livestock based livelihoods and documenting community based livestock risk mechanism developed by PRADAN, SRIJAN and Ibtada. He conducted a livestock risk assessment study for state of Meghalaya and sub sector study of goat based livelihoods in Chhattisgarh in association with The Livelihood School. He facilitated various state and national level training and exposure program of various organizations on goat based livelihoods. This all further made him almost passionate to initiate a dedicated organization working on goat based livelihoods.
Finally on 29th September, 2008, The Goat Trust was registered as a charitable trust with objectives of building and sharing knowledge and to undertake pilots to develop context specific knowledge on goat based livelihoods management. South Asia Pro Poor Livestock Policy Program (SAPPLPP) assigned a responsibility to document best practices in small ruminant based livelihoods especially in health related issues to The Goat Trust (First study assignment to The Goat Trust), which led Mr Sanjeev Kumar to travel Odissa, down south to Tamilnadu, Maharashtra and Rajasthan and interact with various organizations and Research institutes to understand and assess existing approaches and practices in goat and sheep based livelihoods across the country. It exposed us to various reference materials, understand the field perspectives and existing approaches strength and weakness to address goat based livelihoods issues. In the meantime Sir Dorabji Tata Trust invited Mr Sanjeev Kumar to facilitate regional orientation workshops with various grass root organizations in eastern and southern India on goat based livelihoods. Participating organizations expressed confidence on shared process of Pashu Sakhi (Livestock Nurse) model.
With Support from Tata Trust, four organizations finally took responsibility of conceived model of Pashu Sakhi at grass root implementation namely Grameen development Services in Lalitpur, Vishwas sansthan in Raebarely (Both in U.P), GRAM in Nizambad (previously A.P, now in Telangana), BGVK in Ahmednagar (Mahrashtra). Later on MITRA in Maharshtra also adopted similar model of work in Parbhani district of Maharashtra. An assessment of these project was taken in 2009 and was realized although Pashu Sakhi had high relevance in all four locations and goat farmers appreciated this idea along with Pashu Sakhi themselves were found willingness to learn and contribute, there was a lot of difference between promotion process and capacity building process. But our confidence in “Pashu Sakhi” led goat based livelihoods extension services got a significant outcome across allocations. In 2010, team was started building with Mr. Ujjval Sarcar taking dedicated responsibility of building teams and systems as organizational process and Mr. Bhishma Singh (who had worked since 2009) took field support responsibility and in late 2011 we shifted to this new campus of The Goat Trust.
Based on initial success, Tata Trust supported a network of 5 NGOs under coordination of Grameen development services in Bundelkhand and Uttar Pradesh to further strengthen and upscale an integrated model wherein a systematic approach for community capacity building and community led insurance for goats and components like Buck entrepreneur along with Pashu Sakhi was implemented. Within 18 months project demonstrated significant changes in practices, improvement in management knowledge and adoption of improved practices.
A small grant of Tata Trust was allotted to The Goat Trust to support these 5 organisations with technical capacity building and developing manuals for standardizing the process. This provided much needed fillip to The Goat Trust work, which till now has established a small team to conduct farm based research and develop practical manuals to support partner organizations.
In the meantime in 2012, five organizations from eastern Rajasthan under coordination of Ibtada was also supported to implement similar program in eastern Rajasthan. The Goat Trust was assigned responsibility to support as technical resource organization and train community level workers and Pashu sakhies on extending services on cost recovery basis. A three year support cost was granted to The Goat Trust to support and train grass root professionals on technical and process skills for goat based livelihoods.
A series of training was conducted starting from organization heads up to community level and a detailed training process, modules and materials were developed at The Goat Trust, This was resource building phase of The Goat Trust, when training materials were developed, tested , refined and retested along with partners.
In 2013, Jharkhand State Livelihoods promotion Society (JSLPS) invited The Goat Trust through a competitive bidding process to work in Jharkhand to extend similar support model for goat based livelihoods. The Goat Trust deputed team and trained local youths as community Livestock Manager and goat rearing women from SHGs as Pashu Sakhi. First phase of 18 months for 1000 families was scaled up to 4000 families within 9 months after first set of success indicators were visible on ground. In 2015 , the next phase of MoU was signed for up scaling and initiating second phase of goat based livelihoods through making Goat Resource center as community led goat business facilitation center and provide one stop solutions to goat farmers for input and output linkages and sustain on cost recovery basis.
In 2014, The Goat Trust received Award as one of Innovative organization working on livestock theme at Bihar Innovation Foundation (BIF) and a cash prize of Rs 3.0 lakh was given to The Goat Trust.
In October , 2013 founder trustee Mr Sanjeev Kumar was also elected as “ASHOKA Fellow”. Mr Ujjval Sarcar represented The Goat Trust in an international innovation Fair in Afghanistan.
In this year we signed MoU with World Vision India for large scale training of Pashu Sakhies, PRADAN, IGWDP (NABARAD), AKRSP & AKF for further community cadre training and support.
Reputed CSR like Dr Reddy’s Foundation (DRF), Reliance Foundation apart from large organization like World Vision India, Catholic Relief Society (CRS), AKRSP, AKF, Help a child India (HACI) have signed MoU with The Goat Trust for technical support and capacity building.
Government supported organizations like Post Tsunami Sustainable Livelihoods Program (PTSLP), Chennai, Uttrakhand Gramya Vikas Society (UGVS), Dehradun, Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), Telangana invited The Goat Trust for goat based livelihoods feasibility studies and support. Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission (MSRLM) called UMED signed a MoU with The Goat Trust in January 2015 for technical support to 1000 goat farming families in Maharashtra. Fifth Estate through a rigorous field process selected The Goat Trust as one of innovative Social Enterprises and Honorable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh provided momento and invited to work with government on large scale in the State. North East Rural Livelihoods promotion society (NERLPS) signed MoU with The Goat Trust for extending technical support in Tripura.
Uttrakhand Gramya Vikas sansthan (UGVS) signed an MoA for technical support in goat based livelihoods in 2 districts of Uttrakhand. Today The Goat Trust has experiences of supporting over 50 organizations and teams across 14 Indian states. Discussions are on with 11 more national level projects and organizations for modalities to work together along with course accreditation with Agriculture Skills Council Of India and National Skill Development Corporation.
