Five-year collaboration will connect scientific expertise with community-based services and support more diverse, climate-resilient livestock livelihoods
PATNA, BIHAR — September 2026 — Heifer International and Bihar Animal Sciences University (BASU) have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen livestock-based livelihoods in Bihar, India. The collaboration will bring BASU’s scientific expertise together with Heifer’s community-based work to support women-led goat and backyard poultry enterprises, strengthen animal health and breeding services, and expand farmer learning and market linkages. It will support livestock systems serving approximately 70,000 farming families through Heifer’s Bihar Sustainable Livelihood Development Program.
The MoU is effective from August 20, 2026, through August 19, 2031. It provides for joint research, training, field exposure, extension activities, knowledge-sharing and capacity building.
Under the agreement, BASU will provide technical guidance, research and advisory support, and capacity-building assistance to Heifer, its partners, farmers and community-based livestock service providers.
Key areas of collaboration include:
- Women-led goat and backyard poultry enterprises, entrepreneurship and market linkages
- Breed improvement, artificial insemination and local breeding services
- Model goat clusters and fodder research
- Farmer Field Schools and other community-based learning platforms
- Training and certification for Community Agro-Veterinary Entrepreneurs, para-veterinarians and community facilitators
- Animal health awareness, vaccination campaigns and field demonstrations
- Participatory research on livestock nutrition, housing, disease management and breed improvement
- Student engagement, field exposure and joint knowledge-sharing events
BASU Vice-Chancellor Dr. Inderjeet Singh highlighted the potential of buffalo rearing in Bihar, citing the state’s geographic and climatic conditions and the importance of buffalo milk to the dairy sector. He also emphasized the value of strengthening breeding resources and exploring pig rearing within Heifer’s programs.
The partnership aims to strengthen sustainable livestock-based livelihoods and promote more inclusive, climate-resilient and market-linked livestock systems in Bihar.
MoU Exchange at BASU
The MoU exchange ceremony was held at the BASU campus in Patna in the presence of Vice-Chancellor Dr. Inderjeet Singh, widely known as the “Murrah Man” for his work on the Murrah buffalo breed.
The documents were exchanged by Dr. N. K. Singh, Director of Research at BASU, and Sonmani Choudhary, Program Director. Randhir Kumar, Senior Program Manager, and other team members also participated.
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Heifer International
Since 1944, Heifer International has partnered with nearly 60 million smallholder farming households across Africa, Asia and the Americas to address hunger and poverty sustainably while caring for the Earth. Through cross-sector partnerships, Heifer supports farming families with integrated approaches to stronger food systems, resilient livelihoods and improved incomes. Approximately two-thirds of Heifer’s program participants are women.
In India, Heifer works through local partner organizations in Bihar, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, reaching approximately 140,000 smallholder farmers. For more information, visit www.heifer.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Peter Goldstein, Vice President of Communications
Peter.Goldstein@heifer.org
+1 202-341-0042