Spring 2008

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Distinguished prof rolls up his sleeves in Uganda through CSRL

Summon a picture of an Iowa State University distinguished professor and the image that appears probably isn’t dirty hands, dusty jeans, a hammer in one hand and a rough-hewn board in the other.

But there’s Max Rothschild, digging postholes in the dry soil of rural Uganda and erecting wooden animal sheds, working side by side with Ugandan school children and in-country development partners.

“Some people are amazed when I tell them I volunteer to do this,” he says. “It makes me feel renewed. That old saying, that you save the world by doing it one person or one family at a time — I believe that’s true.”

Getting his hands dirty

In February of this year, Rothschild made his fourth trip to Uganda in support of the livestock program of the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

He’s been training rural farmers, planning livestock facilities and, yes, getting his hands dirty to help fulfill the center’s goal of improving global communities’ efforts to sustain themselves.

The Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, in collaboration with Makerere University in Uganda and VEDCO, an indigenous nongovernmental organization, has been working for more than four years to improve food security and market readiness among farm households in rural Uganda.

Livestock production is an increasingly important part of the effort. Rothschild recently was instrumental in receiving support for the Uganda work, both in livestock production and in establishing school gardens, from the Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company.

“Animal agriculture creates opportunities for households in Uganda to access milk, eggs and meat. It also can provide an income so families can pay for basic needs such as school fees and medical expenses,” Rothschild says. “With the Monsanto Fund support, our plan is to equip more than 100 households with the knowledge and supplies needed to begin small-scale chicken and pig operations. We’ll also provide some seed corn to plant so that livestock can receive adequate nutrition.”

For the record, besides being a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Animal Science, Rothschild is the holder of the endowed Ensminger International Chair in the animal science department, director of the Center for Integrated Animal Genomics and the U.S. Pig Genome Coordinator.

Developing sustainable livestock operations

Rothschild says Uganda’s per capital meat consumption is less than 11 pounds a year. Most animals are raised locally for food and very few slaughter facilities exist.

“We’ve met with subsistence farmers, farmers interested in marketing pigs and with animal breeders,” he says. “We’re especially trying to empower the women of the community, who are key in retaining income and in sustaining their families. Livestock operations can help put more food on the table and provide money to help families improve their living standards.”

On his most recent trip, Rothschild checked back with one woman who had started with two pigs and now has a herd of 30. “She and others are using animal production to leverage themselves and begin to pull themselves out of poverty.”

Rural Uganda has significant capacity for raising animals, as long as they receive the proper training. Rothschild and ISU colleague Jim Reecy, associate professor of animal science, have provided education to farmers in previous trips. “The biggest challenges are nutritious feedstuffs, a sufficient water supply and disease risks,” Rothschild says.

In February, Rothschild worked with primary school kids to build a wooden holding structure for pigs and chickens. “The idea is to provide the facility and then teach them how to raise animals.”

Rothschild hopes to go back to Uganda soon to check progress on a model demonstration farm being established by VEDCO, the nongovernmental organization that ISU is partnering with. The model farm will produce piglets that will be made available to families, who agree to pass on some of the offspring to additional families. Rothschild has been working with the ISU Foundation to raise money to support the purchase of livestock and building materials to make the model farm a reality. The efforts have garnered more than $20,000. “The generous gifts of our donors are really making a difference in peoples lives and futures,” he says.

Eliminating poverty with education and livestock

Rothschild believes that the world can be made better for poor people in developing countries by improving agricultural systems in which livestock are an important component. This effort partners well with other important programs including the center’s school gardens project.

“Livestock have a role to play in the elimination of poverty. I think it’s possible for it to happen in Uganda. There are many hurdles, but there are many people who want to make it succeed. You can see a difference.”

And one way you make a difference is higher education. Rothschild soon will begin mentoring a Ugandan student on an ISU master’s degree in animal science, focusing on animal production to help address poverty.

Besides his interests globally, Rothschild also has been active locally in groups that work to address poverty. He’s on the board of directors for the Emergency Residence Project, a homeless shelter in Ames, and Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance, an Ames organization that helps the needy in many ways.