Rabbit Breeding

Protein. Protein. Protein.

In southwestern Uganda, approximately 40% of children are malnourished, particularly due to lack of protein. In Buzaniro, most families eat meat only once or twice a year and lack access to other sufficient sources of protein. When children do not get enough protein during their first 1,000 days, they often suffer cognitive damage that can never be regained.

Rabbits are an easy and inexpensive way to bring protein into the diet. One rabbit is the perfect quantity to feed a family of 6 with no need to refrigerate leftover meat. Rabbit was once part of the Ugandan diet, but nearly disappeared and is now resurging.

Rabbits are true to their reputation

Rabbits are easy to raise and proliferate quickly! A female rabbit can breed 6 times per year and typically has a litter of 5 rabbits. Rabbits are also easy and low cost to raise. They don’t require a lot of space, eat weeds and are resilient against disease, unlike chickens which require special feed and get sick easily. Nothing is wasted in the rabbit breeding process — rabbit pellets are used as fertilizer and the urine as pesticide!

In March of 2023, Go Organic Africa (GOA) began working side-by-side with the Buzaniro community to build a rabbit hutch for each of the 60 beneficiary families and has trained these families how to care for their rabbits, including the technical aspects of breeding. In September of 2023, each family received a starter set of rabbits, one male and two female, to begin the rabbit breeding process.

Excess rabbits equal cash on hand

The goal is for families to begin eating rabbit once per week. Families have been taught the importance of eating rabbit to address malnutrition concerns before selling them. Overtime, excess rabbits can easily be sold for additional income as demand is high. Additional income is crucial for families to afford basic household supplies, as well as school uniforms and books for their children.

The impact is only beginning

The rabbits are already multiplying and we are beginning to see results. One family has bred more than 30 rabbits! An elder says, “It tastes so good. Better than chicken!” In some cases, the youth are in charge of the rabbits which is a big responsibility. The rabbit’s food must be carefully collected from the fields because some vegetation is poisonous. In order to keep the rabbits healthy and reproducing, the cages must be regularly cleaned. Alphonse and Alex report that “Buzaniro is the best performing rabbit project we have seen so far.”