Opportunities and needs in development of smallholder goat production systems in Africa
Journal Title: Scientific Journal of Animal Science - Year 2014, Vol 3, Issue 8
Abstract
A detailed diagnosis of the dynamics of smallholder goat farming systems will guide in any of livelihood intervention programs which takes into account the important socioeconomic issues towards improving the standard of living of the rural poor in Africa. Goats provide smallholder resource poor farmers with a vast range of products and services such as immediate cash income, meat, milk, skin, manure, risk spreading/ management and social functions. This is on the background that goats require smaller investments, have shorter production cycles and greater environmental adaptability, and hence have a unique niche in smallholder agriculture which make them a sustainable enterprise in the context of climate change and variability. This is a review paper that explores the feasibility of goat production as an viable option to improve the quality of life of rural populations in Africa. The discussion highlights the opportunities and challenges in maximizing goat production on the continent focusing on the reducing the current animal product demand supply gap in rural areas. Empirical evidence show that goat population do play a greater role in smallholder farming sector and the species is increasing in numbers than othe livestock. The major concern for using goats is their ecological and physiological adaptive traits which will be more important in the context of climate change variability and other common environmental shocks. The factors which contribute to efficiency in goat production as influenced by water stress, feed inadequacy and disease resistance should be studied further inorder for goats to continualy survive the extremities of climate change. Study conclude that goats constitute an important reservoir of genetic material and sustainable form of animal production that has significant potential for alleviating malnutrition and food insecurity in Africa.
Authors and Affiliations
N. Assan| Zimbabwe Open University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Agriculture Management, Bulawayo Region, Box 3550, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP695
- DOI 10.14196/sjas.v3i8.1642
- Views 483
- Downloads 20
Efficacy of supplementary enzymes on in vitro digestibility of various ratios of maize with wheat offal
The basic experimental diets were 4 x 5 factorial combinations of the inclusion levels of wheat offal at the expense of maize in the control diet with different enzymes. Basically the control diet had 100% of maize whi...
Effects of inclusion of different levels of watermelon bug meal in broiler rations on feed intake, body weight changes a
This study wasconducted in El-Obeid, North Kordofan State, Sudan with the objective of evaluatingthe effects of inclusion of different levels of watermelon bug meal (WMBM) as asubstitute for sorghum grains in rations o...
Improving livestock production through co-operative societies
This paper reviews the positive role livestock Co-operatives can play in enhancing animal production. Livestock Co-operative Societies such as those for Artificial insemination, Dairy, Beef and Poultry production have...
Towards sustainable broiler production – Does use of processed velvet bean (mucuna pruiens) as an adjunct protein substi
A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of processed velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) on performance in broiler chickens. After harvesting, the velvet beans were processed to reduce the...
Effects of grass and concentrate feed on growth performances of rumbi lamb and meat fat composition
This study aims to evaluate and compare the effect of grass and standard feed on lamb zoo technical parameters and meat fatty acid (FA) composition. 36 lambs of Rumbi breed were used in this trial, of which 24 lambs we...