Goat Farming to Raise a Village

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Asri, 46, a resident of Serang village, Panggungrejo subdistrict, Blitar regency, East Java, takes care of the goat being lent to her on Saturday (23/6/2018). She is one of the goat farmers of the local village-owned enterprises (BUMDes). BUMDes aim to improve the economy of the community by providing goats for poor families.

The Serang village administration in Blitar regency, East Java, is making an effort to lift people from poverty through goat farming. The village fund initiative has also improved the village economy and reduced the number of residents that work as migrant workers.

Creativity has been growing in how villages use the village fund. The Serang administration in Panggungrejo district, Blitar, is using a portion of the village fund to provide goats to poor families in a village-owned company (BUMDes) program. Serang, which has a population of 4,700, is 36 kilometers to the south of Blitar.

On Saturday (23/6/2018), Asri, 46, was busy feeding his six goats in their enclosure. She shares the enclosure with her neighbor Suratmin, 60. Asri is a resident of RT 001/RW 002 (neighborhood unit 001/community unit 002) in Serang village who has received the two goats as assistance from the BUMDes.

“I received a loan in the form of two goats. The goats have given birth to four kids. Later, when the kids are grown, the parent goats and one kid will be returned to the village,” said Asri.

Asri, who normally worked as a farm laborer, received the two goats in November 2017. Today, the two goats have four kids, of which three will belong to Asri. Meanwhile, the remaining kid and two goats will be returned to the BUMDes.

School tuition

“I used to be a goat farmer. But I sold them when I needed money. It is difficult for me to buy more goats because I have to spend money on many other needs. Luckily, I got a loan in the form of goats. It is an investment to finance the education of my two children,” said Asri, who has one child in junior high school and another in vocational high school.

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Goat farming activity in Serang village, Panggungrejo subdistrict, Blitar regency, East Java, on Saturday (23/6/2018). The Serang administration is using a portion of the village fund to provide goats to poor families in a village-owned company (BUMDes) program.

The BUMDes program that loans goats to villagers is a Serang village initiative. It started in 2017 with Rp 100 million in initial capital from the village fund. The money was used to buy 100 female goats, medicines and other necessities.

The BUMDes also has three male goats. Because of the limited number of male goats, some villagers took it upon themselves to find more male goats.

The 100 female goats were distributed to the villagers in 10 of the total 27 RTs (neighborhood units) in Serang. Each poor family received two female goats.

The distribution was based on a selection process that prioritized families that most needed the assistance. After the goats give birth, the female goats will be loaned to other families so that all poor families will have their own goat farm.

Two female goats are expected to give birth to four kids. Of these, three kids will belong to the villager and one will be returned to the village after they have been weaned. Then, the female goats will be passed to other villagers on loan.

If the goat dies or is barren, the BUMDes will replace it with another. The adult goat is the village’s responsibility, while the kids are the farmer’s responsibility.

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Asri, 46, and Suratmin, 60, residents of Serang village, Panggungrejo district, Blitar regency, East Java, take care of their goats being lent to them on Saturday (23/6/2018). They are among goat farmers employed by village-owned company (BUMDes) in their village.

“When buying a goat, the farmer will choose the animal. This will make them responsible for what they have chosen,” said Lisdianto, 30, the manager of the BUMDes that is running the goat farming program.

Of the initial 100 goats that were distributed to the villagers, eight had died. Lisdianto said the BUMDes replaced the dead goats with new ones. As of May, the 100 goats had given birth to 27 kids.

“There is an employee who routinely checks the flock. Aside from checking the goats’ health, the employee also tells the residents not to sell the kids. The farmers must keep the kids as assets,” said Lisdianto.

This year, the Serang administration plans to buy 100 goats for 10 additional RTs from their 2018 village fund of Rp 760 million.

Village development

“Through the BUMDes, it is hoped that the villagers will have additional activities that will help improve their living, so they do not have to leave the village to look for work. We can build and develop the village together,” said Serang village head Dwi Handoko.

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Goat farming activity in Serang village, Panggungrejo subdistrict, Blitar regency, East Java, on Saturday (23/6/2018).

Handoko said once all the poor families in the village had their own goats, the BUMDes planned to embark on another program to develop a feed factory to supply the village. Currently, the villagers still rely on wild grass and leaves they gathered from the forest. During the dry season, the villagers found it difficult to gather grass and thus needed to buy goat feed from outside.

“We are trying to turn our village into a quality goat farm center, so those who need quality goats will come to our village. This will improve our status. We do not sell the goats because we need money. Instead, people will come to us because they need quality goats,” said Handoko.

The goat farm program and the growing tourism at Serang Beach, which is under the management of the Serang village administration, the regency and the Environment and Forestry Ministry, has helped improve the village economy. Loan sharks used to come to the village every Monday and Thursday. Today, none come.

“The number of our residents who work as migrant workers is going down. In 2010, almost half of the household heads worked as overseas migrant workers. Today, only 27 household heads are migrant workers. The others have come home to develop the village together,” said Lisdianto.