Practices of traditional beef farmers in their production and marketing of cattle in Zambia.

Musso Munyeme,Karl M Rich,John B Muma,Doreen Chilolo Sitali,Barbara Häsler,Eystein Skjerve,Chisoni Mumba

doi:10.1007/s11250-017-1399-0

Abstract

Understanding the practices of traditional cattle farmers in developing countries is an important factor in the development of appropriate, pro-poor disease control policies, and in formulating regional-specific production incentives that can improve productivity. This paper describes the production, husbandry practices, economics, and constraints of traditional cattle farming in Zambia. A cross-sectional study design was used to obtain data from traditional cattle farmers (n=699) using a structured questionnaire. Data analyses were carried out using SPSS and STATA statistical packages. The results revealed that the majority [65% (95% CI: 59.3-71.1)] of farmers practised a transhumant cattle herding system under communal grazing. In these transhumant herding systems, animal husbandry and management systems were found to be of poor quality, in terms of supplementary feeding, vaccination coverage, deworming, uptake of veterinary services, usage of artificial insemination, and dip tanks all being low or absent. East Coast Fever was the most common disease, affecting 60% (95% CI: 56.4-63.7) of farmers. Cattle sales were low, as farmers only sold a median of two cattle per household per year. Crop farming was found to be the main source of farm income (47%) in agro-pastoralist communities, followed by cattle farming (28%) and other sources (25%). The median cost of production in the surveyed provinces was reported at US$316, while that of revenue from cattle and cattle products sales was estimated at US$885 per herd per year. This translates to an estimated gross margin of US$569, representing 64.3% of revenue.There is considerable diversity in disease distribution, animal husbandry practices, economics, and challenges in traditional cattle production in different locations of Zambia. Therefore, to improve the productivity of the traditional cattle sub-sector, policy makers and stakeholders in the beef value chain must develop fit-for-purpose policies and interventions that consider these variations.

Highlights

Zambia’s beef sector encompasses both traditional and commercial sub-sectors
Commercial beef farms are mostly situated along rail lines on large pieces of titled land, while traditional beef farmers are scattered in rural areas, often practising communal grazing on land held in trust by traditional leaders
This study highlighted the significant variation in cattle herding systems, husbandry practices, animal management, and marketing systems in different study regions in Zambia

Summary

Introduction

Zambia’s beef sector encompasses both traditional and commercial sub-sectors. Traditional beef farmers are defined as farmers who mostly keep local breeds of cattle integrated with crop farming on approximately five hectares of land (World Bank 2011). The traditional sector maintains approximately 84% of the cattle population. Commercial beef farmers are defined as farmers who own large herds of mostly exotic breeds of cattle and contribute the remaining. Commercial beef farms are mostly situated along rail lines on large pieces of titled land, while traditional beef farmers are scattered in rural areas, often practising communal grazing on land held in trust by traditional leaders (Muma et al 2011; Muuka et al.2012). The national beef supply relies on the willingness of traditional farmers to sell animals

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