Redefining Food Sources: Exploring the Disconnect between Goat Farming and Its Perceived Sustainability—A Case Study in Chitima, Mozambique

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the disconnect between goat farming and its perception as a food source and determine if this is related to the way farmers value goats. We conducted a questionnaire of 1 open and 15 closed questions among (n = 23) goat producers in Bairro Boroma, Province of Tete, Mozambique, and six in-depth interviews with stakeholders of the local goat meat trading chain. The results show that goats have an economic value more than a nutritional value, meaning they preferred trading them instead of allocating them for their own consumption. Conformation and size characteristics were more relevant when buying/selling an animal. All goat producers sold live animals in their household’s backyard, at an average price of USD 19.3 ± 4.6/per animal with an average weight of 20.23 ± 3.41 kg. Finally, goat producers preferred to increase their number of goats rather than cattle due to the ease of husbandry, amount of meat obtained from the carcass and reduced risk of meat spoilage post-slaughter because of their smaller size. The latter is essential within an environment lacking access to drinkable water and electric energy to support cold chain management in meat storage.