Goat Production in Central and Eastern Africa

Transcription

1 Goat Production in Central and Eastern Africa Mr. Juvenal Kanani National University of Rwanda Butare, Rwanda Introduction Goats are a particularly valuable livestock species in developing countries because of their ability to utilize many types of forages and tolerate unfavorable climates. Goats play a vital role in the rural economy of many countries in central and eastern Africa (Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, DRC, Congo, Cameroon, CAR, Sudan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Chad, Gabon, and Somalia). However, the contribution of goat to the people and economies of developing countries is obscured by several factors combining to give an underestimate of their true value. Most goats kept in developing countries are inaccurately estimated in number. Cattle are likely to be counted while goat number maybe most often approximated. Goat producers themselves are most often involved in informal market systems which lead to underestimation of goats contribution to the rural and national economy. Furthermore, goats are usually kept by poorer people that are accorded low status and low priority in national economy even if differences exist between countries. Lastly, their eating behavior (higher degree of feed selectivity and preference of young leaves versus old materials; shrubs and forbs versus grasses) attracted some people to wrongly accuse goat as environmental destructor and prejudice has been build up against them in some area of the world and little attention in terms of policy development and research has been paid to goats. Current Status of Goat Production in Central and Eastern Africa Goat population in eastern and central Africa compared to the rest of the world Goat population is estimated to be about 744 millions goat in the World. About 30% of world goat population is found in Africa. Up to 89% of the 21% of goat population is located in 14 countries of Central and Eastern African regions. The table 1 & 2 below show present goat population estimates in World by area and goat distribution in 14 countries of central and eastern African region. Table 1. Goat population estimates by geographical areas Area Population (million) Percentage of total population (%) Asia Africa South America North America Europe Former Soviet Union Oceanic Total The table above shows that the majority of the goats are kept in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa, Asia, America, and Europe

2 Table 2. Goat distribution by countries in eastern and central Africa Country Number of goat (10 3 ) Source Kenya Ministry Agr. (2002) Rwanda Ministry Agr. (2006) Uganda Ministry Fin. (2001) Burundi 750 FAO (2002) DRC FAO (2002) Congo Brazza 294 FAO (2002) Cameroun FAO (2002) Central African Republic FAO (2002) Tanzania FAO (2002) Sudan Kamal. (2008) Nigeria FAO (2002) Chad FAO (2002) Gabon 90 FAO (2002) Ethiopia Tibbo et al. (2004) Somalia FAO (2002) Total Livestock production has been an integral part of farming systems Rwanda and in other East and central African countries for centuries. The data shown in the above table provide a picture of 14 countries of central and eastern Africa. About 70% of Africa goat population is located in 14 countries of central and eastern Africa. The 5 more contributing countries by descending order are Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Cameroon

3 Figure 2: Goat population by country in central and eastern Africa Goat contribution to the welfare of developing countries and in particular those of central and eastern Africa Goats are raised largely by low income households while high income farmers raise cattle. Large animals (cattle) are highly valued relative to small ruminants. Goats were raised primarily for consumption on special occasions or for sale when cash needed for tea, sugar, maize meal, or clothes. Goats are exchanged for the economic necessities, while the large animals bring high social status to their owners. Sheep and goats are kept by some farmers as a dietary supplement, being a more convenient form of meat supply than beef. In some countries, during dry season when cattle did not get enough fodder to produce sufficient milk, goats are also milked. Skins are sold or worn by women or children, traded in exchange for steers, or given away as part of a dowry or at a ceremonial event. In summary, goats play a secondary role in the society, most of the attention going to the large animals. In the humid tropics where cassava and other tuber are the staple crops, goats play a role in providing the necessary protein to the diet in terms of meat. For this reason, there is still much potential for increasing meat production throughout the humid tropics. One option for increasing the meat supply is trough improving and investing in goat production. Goat meat is accepted by consumers, and the initial investment and financial loss trough animal mortality is low. Goats can be fed crop residues and by-products which are not utilized efficiently by other livestock species. However, more researches on the possibilities for increasing goat production in the humid tropics are needed. Goat breeds in Central and Eastern Africa Breeds are classified by Origin, Body size, Color coat, Ear sharp and length, Function, Height of withers. Breeds in Africa come from within African countries, Asia, and Europe. So goats are either indigenous (local breeds) or exotic breeds (imported). Some of African breeds are considered exotic in other countries in Africa or outside Africa. The table below presents breeds in each of the twelve countries of the central and eastern Africa

4 Table 3. Main local and exotic breeds by country Country Indigenous (local breeds) Exotic breeds (imported) within Rwanda Common local goat Burundi Common local goat Boer, Galla, Anglo-nubian, Alpine, DRC West African Dwarf Saanen, Toggenburg,, Spanish, and Uganda Mubende, Small East African, Kigezi, Karamoja, crossbred with exotic and local Tanzania East African small goat breeds Kenya Galla and East African small goat CAR West african Dwarf Cameroon West african Dwarf, sahelian goat, pygmy goat, Sudan Nubian, sudandesert, nilotic dwarf, Tegri Ethiopia Begait, Afar, Arsi-Bale, Woyto-Guji, central Congo West african Dwarf, Sahelian goat Nigeria Sahel or desert goat (west African long-legged Tchad West african Dwarf, Sahelian goat Gabon West African dwarf goat Production systems In most countries of eastern and central Africa, goat production ranks first among ruminants in terms of numbers, although in terms of total meat output they are second to cattle. The figures indicate that goat and sheep production is a major economic activity in terms of the number of people employed and as a source of revenue, especially in the main producing areas of sub region. Most of the goats are kept under extensive pastoral, ranching systems. In high potential areas, a zero-grazing, tethered or stall-fed system is often used. Although a great potential for exploiting a variety of goat genotypes exists, the realization of such potential still remains elusive in most countries of the eastern and central Africa. There are four common grazing systems in central and eastern Africa. A number of factors including culture, tradition, land size, and number of goat determine the system practiced Tethering system Extensive grazing system Zero-grazing Semi-intensive system The main types of feed resources for goat in central and eastern Africa are forage grasses, legumes, shrubs and forbs, crop residues and agriculture by-products. Concentrate feed are rarely used in goat feeding because they are either expensive or not available. Challenges and constraints to goat production in central and eastern Africa Goat production in central and eastern Africa suffers from several challenges. The following constraints to goat development must be analyzed and their solutions sought. Goat production in central and eastern Africa, like in many other developing countries of the tropics, are constrained by: (a) management related issues (e.g. inadequate husbandry), (b) inadequate and ready supply of the most appropriate type of breeding stock and how they can be improved, (c) lack or poor supply of inputs, including drugs, feed, water, etc., (d) unavailability of appropriate markets and poor market organization, (e) poor infrastructure and lack of efficient information networks, (f) poor public policy on the environment, especially on the administration of animal health policies and controlling disease, (g) decreasing size of farm-lands to allow for alternative

5 options that can be exploited economically, (h) insecurity and livestock rustling among pastoral communities, (i) frequent drought and lack of preparedness for such calamities. Other common constraints include lower performances due high abortion rate and mortality rates of young, uncontrolled breeding leading to low conception rates, low birth weight, limited information on local breeds and genetic characteristics of existing goat population. The only attempt to improve the productivity of goat have concentrated on the importation of exotic breeds and crossing them with indigenous types. In most cases, this approach has been unsatisfactory because there were no accompanying measures such as the restructuring of the small ruminant industry by investing in nutrition, health services, and market, and goat farmer training on good management practices. Introduction Goat Production in Rwanda Rwanda is a small landlocked rural country with a land area of 26,338 km 2 at an altitude ranging from 1,000 to 4,500 m above sea level. It has few natural resources and minimal industry. It is the most densely populated country in Africa with a population estimated at of inhabitants (2002 population census) and an average population density of 321 persons per km 2, one of the highest in Africa. At a growth rate of 2.9%, the population is expected to rise to 14 million by the year There is, therefore, considerable demographic pressure on agricultural land with over 58% of households having holdings of less than 0.5 ha. Family farms are continuously sub-divided into increasingly smaller plots, fields are over cropped, marginal lands (including marshlands) and pasturelands have been converted to arable lands. The issue of land and farm size is therefore, central to the issue of livestock feed production and has great influence on livestock production in the country. The major challenge facing the livestock sector is to satisfy the rise in general demand for livestock products by the increasing human population at the technological level that the natural resource base can sustain without destroying the environment. For the farmers to benefit from an environmental friendly integrated agricultural system, a comprehensive outreach program linking farmers, extension and researchers is necessary in order to facilitate the smooth transfer of the new technologies within the context and limitations of the existing agricultural systems in Rwanda. It is apparent that the problems facing goat production in Rwanda are many, but the practical issues of feeds and feeding; regardless of the system of production comes to the forefront in the new thinking mentioned above, justifying the current government option of deserving goat for meat production. The current annual increase of meat and milk consumption in Rwanda is due to rises in population and possibly in national income. Goat population in Rwanda Table 4. Rwanda goat population in 2006 compared to other species Species Number Livestock unit (LU) Percentage (%) Cattle Goat Sheep Swine Poultry Rabbit Total Source: MINAGRI (2007) L.U. Conversion factors: Cattle (0.5), sheep and pig (0.1), pig (0.2), poultry and rabbit (0.01)

6 Table 5: Contribution of goat industry in Rwanda on annual meat consumption in 2006 Species Meat (kg) % Cattle Goat Sheep Swine Rabbit Poultry Total Source: MINAGRI (2007). Goat breeds raised in Rwanda Goat population in Rwanda is made up by common local goat which constitutes more than 90% of the total goat population and some imported exotic breeds (Boer, Galla, Alpine, Saanen, Toggenburg) that constitutes less than 10%

7 Table 6: Breed characteristics and main attributes Breed name Characteristics Main function Common local goat Alpine Saanen Toggenburg Possibly cross-bred between Guinean dwarf goat and east African dwarfs goat Small size, height (50-56 cm for female and cm for male, hair short and fine, ear short and small, Introduced in Rwanda for the first time from Switzerland Introduced in Rwanda for the first time from Switzerland Introduced in Rwanda for the first time from Switzerland Mainly for meat, but milk maybe used to treat malnourished children Mainly for milk production Mainly milk production Mainly milk production Boer Imported from South Africa Mainly meat production Galla Imported from Kenya Mainly meat production Economic roles of goat in Rwanda Goats are important because they require low initial capital, maintenance costs, are able to use marginal land and crop residues, produce milk and meat in readily usable quantities, and are easily cared for by most family members. Small ruminants are prolific and need only short periods to increase flock sizes after catastrophes or in periods of high prices and thus off take rate can respond to price increases. The basic principles of economics in goat farming are based on the following: smaller size animal, cost less than cattle, require less feeds, present fewer risks, and have quick return. Practical Implication of Current Status of Goat Industry in Central and Eastern Africa In line with the global predictions on increased food demand and given the current rate of population growth, the consumption of food and agricultural products especially those of animal origin, will have to increase at a rate of >4% per year in order for the demand to be met. The increased demand must be met mainly from goat meat and other small livestock species that an increase in potential arable land is limited. The goat is the preferred livestock species in the because of its high prolificacy compared to cattle and its tolerance to unfavorable climate. Current and future goat development efforts must, therefore, adequately address the following challenges: What goat genotypes should be kept, under what production system? What baskets of technologies, including husbandry, health management, product marketing and value addition options need to be put in place to make the local and exotic genotypes sustainable and profitable? How would the appropriate genotypes and the supportive technologies be packaged, promoted and disseminated to reach the desired targets of livestock farmers and in large enough numbers to realize the desired impact? The institutional frameworks and support instruments need to be in place to support the preferred and appropriate goat development programs for these to be sustainable?