Livestock breeding ... Small projects that revived the family economy in Al-Saboura in Damascus countryside

Damascus-Sana countryside

From an attempt to improve her financial status to a profession that brings together all her family members, Reem Al-Muhammad from the people of Al-Saboura in Damascus countryside has turned her small business and expanded the market for her products, which are now called by the name she loves "Umm Ata".

Umm Atta's project started, as I spoke to the delegate of Sana, raising one cow. With the passage of time and hard work, the number of cows increased and the whole family joined to work on the project, which was not limited to marketing milk but went beyond it to produce and manufacture various types of dairy and cheese and its derivatives in Al-Saburah and outside so that its products become a distinctive mark required by name As she put it.

Umm Atta indicated that raising livestock needs experience, follow-up and attention to obtain sufficient returns to help the breeder in developing and expanding his work, noting that her project now includes 10 cows producing daily more than 150 kilograms of milk.

Despite the difficulties facing her project, such as high prices and the difficulty of securing domestic gas, Umm Ata called on all women to initiate projects similar to its importance in achieving an economic return for the family and enabling women to achieve their existence and themselves.

Umm Ata is not the only one who found in raising livestock an opportunity to improve her family’s economic situation and overcome the difficult living conditions imposed by the war. Muayyad Shaheen also founded his own project with one of his brothers who was later martyred to be forced to complete it alone, but his efforts resulted in increasing the number of cows to 5 heads with their young produce daily about 120 kg of milk and about 20 sheep, in addition to chicken.

Shaheen pointed out the need to master the skills of dealing with livestock to give distinct production of milk, pointing out that the project has improved its economic and family status and is currently seeking to develop it so that it can increase production and marketing of cows and sheep heads, also indicating the necessity of the youth initiative to open similar projects to increase the livestock sector.

According to Shaheen, there are feed centers that provide them with feed at a "reduced value", but they are not sufficient, which causes them to resort to buying feed from the private sector at a high price, which contributes to higher product prices, while noting that there is follow-up by the relevant authorities for the breeders as possible.

The young Anas Suleiman revived his project in raising and trading of livestock after the circumstances impeded the continuation of his work in Homs, where he moved to Al-Saboura and started again in 2011, and today he hopes to create a farm to raise cows that enables him to attract a greater number of manpower and increase meat production.

On the start of his project, Suleiman explained that he rented a barn, bought three cows and a number of sheep and proceeded to buy and sell, then expanded to work until he increased the number of heads, attracted laborers, and rented a shop dedicated to trading beef and sheep meat and marketing milk products that ranged between 30 and 40 kilograms per day.

The head of the municipal council in Al-Saboura, Dr. Saleh Saleh, shows that Al-Saboura is an agricultural country and there are many families who depend on their livelihood for livestock and dairy production, as they constitute important solutions to attract workforce and support the family economy.

The number of breeders in Al-Saburah is about 530 breeders, 1580 heads of cows and about 16 thousand sheep and goats in addition to raising chickens, according to Saleh, who pointed out that the Council is coordinating with the extension unit to follow up and support the breeders and provide the necessary vaccines and any assistance they need.

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