The Livestock Health Extension Services Project (LHESP) held an activity to enhance the capacity of the newly created farmers cooperative and to encourage the Dialogue with dairy Processors to promote the implementation of the LHESP Best Management Practices (BMPs) in demo farms in Yanqi county, Xinjiang. The objectives were to support group production management trough cooperative efforts and cooperative capacity building to meet the market demands in terms of both, milk safety and quality, taking advantage of the benefits associated to the implementation of the BMPs demo farm in Yanqi pilot county. A total 34 Yanqi residents attended the activity. Among them were 9 women of ethnic minority, 5 MTOT members, 6 government officials from AHB, Agriculture Economy Bureau and local dairy industry; and 23 cooperative leaders.

Mrs. Guo Yanqin , Farmer Cooperative Specialist from Xinjiang Finance and Economy University and Mrs Pen Shuping Deputy leader in charge of farmers cooperative from Ba prefecture (Yanqi county) were the experts invited to facilitate this activity. The topics included the interpretation and understanding of the main concepts associated to farmers cooperatives, cooperative law and case study on how farmers cooperatives benefit farmers when dealing with obstacles that are beyond the capacity of individual farmer to Confront. Dr. Javier Burchard, LHESP manager, shared the Canadian experience about the organization of the dairy farmers in Canada and the benefits of collaborating with other academic and industrial institutions. Also showed examples in Brazil and Argentina where there has been a contribution of the Canadian model. The audience became aware of the universal carachteristic of the issues affecting dairy farmers and animal origin milk safety. Following this, a dialogue meeting was arranged for managers from dairy company, farmers cooperative, AHB and Farmers Cooperative Administration to make an open and harmonious dialogue with topics based on solving current existing problems while looking to the future for a healthy and sustainable development of dairy industry in Yanqi County.
 

Mrs. Guo, farmers specialist making a presentation

Mr. Javier Burchard, LHESP manager, visiting milk parlor of the BMPs demo cooperative

Stakeholders dialogue

Dairy company manager participates at stakeholders dialogue