Goat flock productivity under smallholder farmer management in Zimbabwe

Goats are able to utilise marginal land that is, otherwise, deemed unsuitable for crop production in dry agro-ecological regions. This study evaluated goat management practices under smallholder farming conditions, in order to determine flock productivity and potential for improvement. A multistage sampling approach was used to randomly select participants in a survey. Eighty households were randomly selected before a semi-structured questionnaire and key informant interviews were employed to collect data on; demographic details, general livestock and goat management activities, goat flock dynamics and major constraints encountered by goat farmers. A Chi-square test was performed in the IBM SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Mean production indices recorded were: flock size 10.9 ± 7.82; age at first kidding, 13.29 ± 2.71 months; mating ratio (buck: doe), 1: 5.05; kids surviving to weaning, 5.58 ± 4.05 and age at castration, 5.4 ± 0.43 weeks. There was an association (χ2 = 6.74, df = 1, P < 0.009) between flock size and mean grazing area. Reasons for keeping goats were; source of meat (96.2%), manure (96.2), income (92%) and symbol of wealth (87.5%). Goat mortality was a major challenge with predators (35%), unknown incidents (25%) and diseases (23%) being the most common causes. There is scope for improved productivity since, in addition to the high literacy levels providing basis for effective training and information dissemination, farmers already utilise recommended practices such as castration.