An Integrated Approach to Developing Dairy and Meat Value Chains

The post was originally published on Donorplatform.org as part of a video interview with Jim Yazman, Livestock Specialist from the USAID Bureau for Food Security and his opinions on the state of meat production and dairy development projects.

The livestock sector is one of the largest and fastest growing parts of agriculture, pushed by an increasing demand for meat and dairy products from people in urban areas. To meet this demand, many donors, governments and private sector partners agree that efforts should start by applying a highly integrated approach to value chain development in the sector. If the concept is understandable, why is this not translated into practice? Is the problem rooted in supply management issues, poor communication or products of low quality?

In an interview with the Platform Jim Yazman postulates some answers to these questions along with other recommendations for effective donor participation. Jim Yazman serves as the Livestock Sciences specialist for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with more than 35 years of experience in support to national governments, NGOs and private sector stakeholders in livestock value chain research and development. USAID serves as a leading convener of public and private sector stakeholders promoting financial inclusion and technology that has the potential for transforming development outcomes.