Shed Management Training

On the technical side of things, we have just completed the 2 day shed management training course in all 16 groups. The participants learned about basic concepts of drainage and ventilation, as well as floor space requirements. They learned about different types of housing and which is best suited to their situation. They also discussed what improvements could be made to their existing sheds.

The second day of training was spent in the field visiting other group members' homes and evaluating their goat and buffalo sheds. This included taking measurements, assessing drainage and air flow through the vents. Upon completion, they discussed their findings and compared them to the "Ideal Shed", of which VIVA has funded one in each group. This is the perfect design on which their own sheds should be based.

An interesting thing to come across was how many cases there have been of leopards taking goats from their sheds during the night. This was borne into the design of the Ideal Shed. Our field staff got their first taste of training a big group on their own and it proved a great experience and confidence booster.