Technical note
Aspects of goat farming in the communal farming systems of the central Eastern Cape, South Africa

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Abstract

A survey of small-scale goat farmers was conducted in two villages of the Nkonkobe region, in the central Eastern Cape. The aim of the study was to assess and document the prevailing goat production systems in the rural areas. Information obtained was mainly on flock sizes, reasons for keeping, breeding and management practices. A structured questionnaire, based on interviews of 52 respondents revealed variability in response among flock sizes (2–84), with goats mainly kept for slaughter during rituals. Daily milk yields for both villages ranged between 0.125 and 2.0 l per goat. In each village, only 20% kept their own bucks. There was a high incidence of goats bearing twins, and despite the high birth rate, mortality due to tick-borne diseases were high. Implications of the status quo in the communal farming system on goat milk production are outlined.

Introduction

In subsistence agriculture common in developing countries, farmers keep small ruminants for sale, consumption and personal use (Akingbade et al., 2001). In South Africa, goats are kept by subsistence farmers to provide milk, meat, skins and in some cases fibre. The greater percentage of goats in the Eastern Cape province is owned by subsistence farmers based mainly in an extensive system, which is characterised by poor management and low productivity. This system is referred to as the communal farming system, and is where, large areas of state rangeland (veld) are used communally by farmers for grazing domestic livestock and harvesting natural products such as fuelwood. In 1997, there were 6.6 million goats in South Africa, with 64% in rural areas, and about 3.15 million in the Eastern Cape, with 59% in rural areas (Coetzee, 1998). This study was undertaken to assess and document the prevailing goat production systems in the rural areas.

Section snippets

Methods

Based on information from Agricultural Extension Officers in the region, two villages of Sheshegu and Ncera were selected to represent areas where goat keeping is prominent. Within each village, goat owners were identified through snowball sampling, following which they were approached and interviewed. Overall, 52 goat owners (29 in Sheshegu, and 23 in Ncera) were interviewed between September and November 2000.

The questionnaire included questions about goat numbers owned, reason for keeping

Results and discussion

Goat owners in both villages had been keeping goats for a period ranging between 1 and 50 years. The average goat flock size was smaller in Ncera 10 (range 2–34) compared to that of flocks in Sheshegu 18 (range 5–84). The goats were kept mainly for slaughtering during rituals, sales and to a lesser extent for milk production. Selling of live goats occurred mainly during the holiday seasons (Easters, June and December) when most traditional ceremonies take place in the Eastern Cape province.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Directorate of Applied Research, Training and Education in the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs of the Eastern Cape Province for financial support that made this research possible.

References (8)

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