Moses Ekoi reports that the Goat unit has improved a great deal, mainly due to the recruitment of veterinary assistant, Edson Opio, who trained at Arapai College, Soroti, (now Bustima University). Edson has been very helpful in the management of the unit and also assisting the wider community in diagnosis of livestock diseases, using the facilities of our veterinary laboratory which, although small and still in development, is the only one of its kind in the district. The regional veterinary lab in Mbale has been very helpful to us, giving Edson extra training and advice, but it is beyond the reach of community farmers. The purchase of Mubende Elite bucks from Western Uganda to replace the previous Boer crosses has resulted in kids with greater disease resistance, surviving much better at the unit and in the community. It is still difficult to source these bucks to introduce new bloodlines.
Sheep breeding is at a standstill, while we wait for an opportunity to source better ewes to replace the local ones and hopefully some Dorper cross rams. Covid travel restrictions make this impossible at present. The photo is of Edson taking blood samples from the goats at the Ngora Unit.