Dairy information

Interested in getting hands-on information for dairy projects? Despite the recent growth in dairy development programmes in many countries at local and national levels, and their associated networks, most of the reliable information sources are still at the international level. The fullest range of information is available, not surprisingly, from the dairy section of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In printed and electronic form, there is a wealth of data, practical information, policy documents, project planning guides and much more from the FAO Livestock Production Service. This covers milk production, collection, marketing, processing and preservation. It is best seen, if you can, on the FAO Website s Dairy Information Page which is a model for clarity and ease of access at www.fao.org/ag/aga/agap/lps/dairy/intro.htm. Or address written enquiries to the Dairy Information Service, Animal Production and Health Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme de Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy; fax: +39 06 5705 5749; email: jeanclaude.lambert@fao.org The FAO dairy section co-publishes the Dairy Development Newsletter with the International Dairy Federation (IDF), a highly informative if rather dry bulletin about best practice, new trends and policy formulation. Subscribe (for free) through the address above. The IDF is a small body for the professional dairy sector and is useful for institutionalised links. IDF, Diamant Building, Boulevard Auguste Reyers 80, 1030 Brussels, Belgium; fax: +32 2 733 0413; email: info@fil-idf.org; Website: www.fil-idf.org If you re short of time for searching, but ready to do some reading, a good source of information is the recent report of a South South workshop on smallholder dairy production and marketing held in Anand, India, from 13 to 16 March 2001. It describes the national situation in countries throughout Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America. Various papers also discuss the implications of international trade regulations and food quality standards (based on the Codex Alimentarus regulations) for smallholders; support mechanisms and policy development at national level and research priorities. There is also a healthy portion of practical case studies on micro-credit, forage technologies, preservation techniques and more. Smallholder dairy production and marketing Opportunities and constraints. Edited by D Rangnekar and W Thorpe W. Co-published by the National Dairy Development Board, Anand, India, and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya. 538 pages, 2002. ISBN 92 9146 114 8. Available free in print form from ILRI, PO Box 30709, Nairobi, Kenya; email: info@ilri.org; and downloadable from the Website www.ilri.org If it s actual projects, or project support, that you re looking for, you would do well to plug into the networks that involve the Heifer Project. Their free newsletters and online services open many doors to local experiences throughout the world. Heifer Project International, PO Box 8058, Little Rock, AR 72203, USA; email: info@heifer.org; Website: www.heifer.org But at the end of day, when the cows come home (as they say), try to visit this page on the FAO Website: www.fao.org/ag/ aga/agap/lps/dairy/URL/Url.htm. It has hundreds of well-researched links to the entire small dairy development sector.