Tetra Tech International Development’s approach to agriculture and food security is centred around government and community-led innovations, and grounded in results-based management, to enhance agricultural productivity and improve livelihoods.
As a testament to this, the IACCB is piloting several innovative breeding herd systems with private sector partners to trial commercially sustainable approaches to the challenges that have prevented the development of the commercial-scale cattle breeding industry in Indonesia. The program engages and empowers smallholder’s farmers also, through partnering with farmers’ owned enterprises. This provides a mechanism for on-going management support post IACCB.
Operating as part of the Indonesia – Australia Partnership on Food Security in Red Meat and Cattle Sector, IACCB is just one example of the Australian Government’s commitment to ensuring a sustainable and secure agriculture and beef sector in Indonesia.
Trends in the global supply and demand of beef indicate that supply continues to diminish, while demand and prices are steadily rising. Prices for live cattle in Indonesia have roughly doubled over the last five years as a result of increasing domestic demand, decreasing domestic production reduced availability of imports and high prices from exporting countries.
The IACCB has eight partner projects spread geographically across Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Sumbawa. The program provides technical assistance to carefully selected partners to improve their capacity to manage a breeding cattle enterprise. This capacity building is achieved through intense and on-going supervision of all activities and processes, ensuring the partners experience sustainable improvements in their breeding cattle enterprise. Over time, acceptance and adoption of the improved practices is more achievable.
The eight partners are testing three breeding systems, across a broad range of operating environments, including the integration of cattle and oil palm production, semi-intensive grazing and small holder enterprises.
Partners must co-invest in their project to receive IACCB program support. Investments are considerable and include cattle in some instances, grazing and cropping land, existing and purpose-built infrastructure and other resources.
Tetra Tech is proud to manage both the IACCB and the Indonesia Australia Partnership on Food Security in Red Meat and Cattle Sector on behalf of the Australian Government, developing innovative solutions to ensure sustainable beef production in Indonesia.
