By Inside Biz
Someone once said “You can’t buy happiness but you can buy local” and the Enactus team at the University of Eswatini, Mbabane campus argues that you CAN buy happiness in a sack for your livestock and support local businesses at the same time.
This is all thanks to their innovation, MultiUse Livestock Feed, a project designed to provide nutritional benefits for livestock and as a response to the environmental crisis we are faced with as a country because the idea was birthed in the peak of the El Nino drought.
The team collects agricultural waste (crop residue) which is combined with other special ingredients and fed through a machine to produce the end product before it is packaged.
The UNESWA Mbabane team is one of four Enactus teams that benefitted from the Waste for Improved Livelihoods Grant Program funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in August 2022 by way of seed capital amounting to E50 000.
The initiative is aimed at helping small businesses, led particularly by youth, women, and other disadvantaged groups who work in the waste management industry to upscale their ideas and magnify their impact.
The team partnered with a 10-member youth group, Emaphiko Ensha, comprised of 5 males and 5 females from the Lobamba Lomdzala Inkhundla as part of the Enactus mandate to empower communities and impart skills as well as knowledge.
Telecommunications giant MTN Eswatini also contributed seed capital amounting to E10 000 towards this project, which was prize money won by each of 10 participating youth-led businesses; with 6 coming from Enactus during the annual 21 Days of Y’ello Care campaign held in June last year.
Enactus UNESWA Mbabane CEO Nokwethu Mthethwa, a BSc. Environmental Health and Food Science final-year student thanked Enactus, UNDP, and Catalyze for the support given to their business.
“It is quite heartwarming to see the progress we have made over the last year, with gratitude being extended to UNDP as the processing machine and other working tools such as protective gear were purchased with the E50 000 we received last year.”
She said they were particularly encouraged by farmers who have not only supported them but also given them valuable feedback that alludes to the fact that their livestock is healthier and happy with the product such that the beasts are gaining healthy weight and their coats are shinier.
She disclosed that they have generated sales of E34 986 and are grateful to the organizations that partner with Enactus to build capacity amongst young people in tertiary institutions and in turn, partner with the community to create a better, sustainable world for all.
“All of this would not have been possible without the assistance of experts from the Ministry of Agriculture who mentored and guided us on the formulation of the feed mix,” she concluded.
To purchase their livestock feed, particularly for cows and goats for now; farmers are strongly encouraged to contact us at 78421352/79544654 or alternatively, email us at enactusuneswambabane@gmail.com to enquire or place orders.