Michael Gavin, president of PortaScience Inc. (PSI), recently returned from Rwanda where he participated in the educational segment of a program funded by a grant from Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation (FFPI) to commercialize a milk quality test for East African small farms.
David L. Lee, professor from the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, the research and outreach arm of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and Nathaniel F. Makoni, Ph.D., of the African Breeders Services, Total Cattle Management Ltd. (ABS TCM), joined Gavin in providing educational resources to Rwandan dairy farmers.
FFPI is a program funded by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Fintrac Inc. The program is focused on finding and commercializing agricultural technology that can help farmers in developing countries.
It serves as a bridge that brings new technologies to market, changing the way small farmers do business by improving productivity and income as well as improving milk quality. The Rwandan government is supportive of these efforts to bring high-quality milk to more citizens as well as improving the economics of small farmers.
PSI was selected from more than 120 companies worldwide because of their novel technology that enables farmers to test milk quality and screen for udder infection or mastitis in dairy cows.
Educating African farmers and providing for the low cost manufacture of the UdderCheck LDH test to screen for this costly disease are key aspects of the grant program. PortaCheck Inc. currently markets UdderCheck in the U.S. and more than 65 countries.
“The trip to Rwanda was an unforgettable experience,” Gavin said. “It is a beautiful country, and the people are friendly. Farmers really wanted to learn from us and were very appreciative of our efforts to bring new technologies to their area.”
Visit the website for more information or call (866) 500-7722. PD
—From PortaScience news release
