Opportunities for improving Nguni cattle production in the smallholder farming systems of South Africa

A total of 218 structured questionnaires were administered to determine the influence of production and socioeconomic factors on Nguni cattle farmers' constraints in the smallholder areas of South Africa. Cattle were mainly used for cash, milk and ceremonies. Cattle herd sizes were higher (P < 0.05) in the small-scale (23 ± 5.2) compared to the communal (9 ± 3.1) areas and mainly composed of cows. Most (75%) of the cattle owners were adult males and were more involved in herd management than adult females and youths. Shortage of feed and diseases/parasites were ranked by farmers as the most important constraints. The logistic regression model showed that odds ratio estimates of households experiencing cattle feed shortage and disease/parasite challenges were high for rangeland type, production system and gender of the household head. About 40 and 75% of the respondents in the sour and sweet rangelands reported that cattle condition deteriorates during winter, respectively (P < 0.05). Tick-borne diseases were the common causes of cattle mortality, especially in summer. Local crossbreds and Nguni were the common cattle breeds in the smallholder areas. African tradition worshippers had higher (P < 0.05) Nguni herd sizes (6 ± 3.2) than Christians (1 ± 0.5). Breeding season was undefined and mating system was largely uncontrolled in the communal areas. Farmers' socioeconomic and pedo-climatic situations should be considered when planning strategies for cattle development in the smallholder farming systems.