On 27 February 2014, the Livestock and Fish program team in Nicaragua joined with partners CATIE, Center for Export and Investment Nicaragua (CEI), and Heifer International to launch a new project called ‘competitive beef and dairy through sustainable intensification and specialized market access‘.
The project’s objective is to improve the competitiveness and income of small and medium cattle farmers in Nicaragua through the implementation of good farm management practices and the creation and strengthening of sustainable beef and dairy value chains.
The project’s intervention strategy approaches the issues through four main components: local capacity-building, exploring and testing market incentive mechanisms to increase technology adoption and generate added value in meat and milk production, promoting sustainable farming practices and sustainable livestock products to access specialized market niches, and the continuation of project activities beyond the scope of the project through the creation of a sustainable livestock farming platform.
The practices promoted by the project will lead to a sustainable intensification of the farms, better smallholder adaptation to climate change, and offer a business opportunity in specialized markets through a certification process with internationally recognized standards. This will lead to the expected project impacts of poverty reduction, environmental sustainability, and capacity building within the target group.
CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish 