Livestock Training Program of Stube-HEMAT Sumba

Could We Expect More

on Livestock?

May 22 – 24, 2015 at GKS Okanggapi,

the branch of GKS Umamapu

  

Sumba is known as sandalwood island because of its sandalwood tree and Sandalwood horse. East Sumba has tropical climate, with its area 7.000,50 km2 and 223.568 ha of savanna area, equivalent to 32.91% of the total area of East Sumba. East Sumba has a lot of potencies but it has not optimalized yet, such as tourism, livestock, marine and fisheries.

One of the promising potency is livestock. East Sumba is known as one of the suppliers of large animals, such as horses, cows and buffaloes that should be optimized. However, the problems should be faced are cattle theft, cattle diseases and market low price.

Stube-HEMAT Sumba observes such condition above, then takes chance to empower students and young people to be more responsive to the recent situation. Through a livestock training held on May 22 – 24, 2015 at GKS Okanggappi, the branch of GKS Umamapu, the participants consisting of students and youth learned a lot of things, such as livestock potency, animal disease and livestock safety. In addition, participants give suggestions to the department of animal husbandry and police department in order to optimize the livestock potency in East Sumba.

The trainees consists of 27 participants, male and female students from various campuses in East Sumba, such as STIE Kriswina, STT GKS Lewa, Integrated-STT Waingapu and AKS Peternakan and two participants from GKS Kanatang. Stube-HEMAT Sumba invited Samuel Rundi, a veterinarian having livestock experiences in East Sumba as the facilitator. He said that the biggest challenge to run a livestock is the lack of fodder in dry season, while fodder is abundant in rainy season. In addition, the cattlemen still use traditional breeding system and there is also much threat of animal theft.

One of the participants, Nikson K.W. Laki, a Kriswina STIE student coming from Kanatang, East Sumba said, "I’m very happy with this training, because I can learn how to manage livestock and open the prospect of business to improve the economy condition of the society."

The potency of livestock is expected to be maximally developed as one of the prospective sector for the regional economy development. As a field learning, the participants visited a livestock at Wanggawatu, Kambera managed by Umbu Kudu. Participants are expected to have more  interest to apply the knowledge of livestock they have learned in the training. (DNY).