Ever heard of a "goat pass-on"? Neither had I! This photo shows one of the first 15 farmers to receive two passed-on goats each in our new mechanism that supports individual families to build up their herds. Farmers in our goat programme agree to pass on the offspring of their WeForest goats to other farmers on a waiting list provided by the cooperative. When a farmer has passed on three six-month-old female goats (does), he or she becomes eligible to receive more goats from the cooperative. Male goats are kept in the cooperative goat house to generate income through sales.

In addition, farmers agree to contribute 5% of the value of their goats each year towards an "Animal Health Fund" dedicated to disease control and improvement of veterinary services in the area.

This goat passing-on ceremony in Kebamba zone in January was quite an occasion, witnessed by farmers, cooperative and Village Resource Management Committee executives and interested community members. This builds trust and transparency around the management of the goat farming scheme, which is a forest-friendly alternative livelihood not only for its income-generating potential but also because the milk and meat improves household nutrition and food security.