Since time immemorial, rural farmers have relied on goats to provide meat, milk and money. However over the years, keeping goats has not been considered a lucrative business venture owing to the new opportunities like keeping cattle which has better income. In most of rural Africa, Zimbabwe included, livestock is attached to men whilst women are relegated to kitchen roles and raising children. Despite efforts made by the government and many other relevant stakeholders like NGOs to bring about equality among men and women, not much has been achieved in terms of property ownership like livestock particularly in rural areas. In most areas, women still don’t have things like land and livestock registered under their names. They still cannot access loans for development because what they own is usually registered under their husbands’ names. Women are allowed to own small stock like chickens, goats, pigs etc while men own the big stock in the form of cattle. A married woman will have to seek the permission of her husband to sell cattle even though at times she will be the one who bought those cattle. They are however allowed to sell goats and chickens without the knowledge and approval of their spouses.

In Zimbabwe there is no marketing structure for the goats. A recent survey by Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC), the national average percentage of people who did not own goats stood at 57% while 22% owned more than five goats. Most goats are found in Matabeleland regions with Matabeleland South owning 44% of the goats and Matabeleland North has 29% of the households that own more than five goats. Climate change has turned most of the country into arid places and keeping goats is a wise move. Crop production keeps on declining each year because of successive droughts. Goat mortality rate stood at 10% at national level according to the same survey by ZimVAC. The survey further revealed that a higher proportion of goat losses were due to diseases at 77%. Despite all that, goats are mainly sold to private traders. At a national level, these sales only account for 16% compared to cattle which are sold to private traders, sale pens/ auctions and abattoirs. They are mainly sold within their district of origin. That means if the prices of goats are not good, farmers don’t realize any meaningful income after selling their goats.

Cattle are mainly sold at sale pens/auctions and also private abattoirs are main buyers, especially for the direct slaughter stock. Because of different buyers, cattle prices are not as bad as goat prices although the decentralized cattle sales affected the prices a lot because not many buyers have the means or are willing to drive to different districts to buy cattle. The level of poverty has increased over the last decade. According to ZIMSTAT- Poverty, Income, Consumption and Expenditure Survey 2017 Report, 70.5 % of the population was poor whilst 29.3% were deemed extremely poor. That is to say almost all of the rural people survive mainly on agricultural activities. During the drought years, these people rely mostly on food handouts distributed by government and donors. If there was a proper marketing structure for goats, rural farmers could benefit a lot and they would be able to get money for their everyday needs. As of April 2022, the average monthly income stood at ZWL 18,519.6. Matabeleland North had the lowest income at ZWL 11,920.91.

The average expenditure for the month of April was US $27 and once again Matabeleland North had the lowest expenditure per household at US$16. This is against the national average price of goats ranging from US$19-$49 per goat depending on the district. It is crystal clear that goat farmers are struggling on a daily basis to get funds to meet their needs given the currently prevailing prices on the market for the goats. The envisaged marketing structure for the goats could be similar to that of cattle where there are sale pens/ auctions per district or the private abattoirs going straight to the farmers to buy the goats directly for slaughter. Such a scenario could increase the income for the goat farmers since they will have calendars for the sales that will be happening in their localities. They will not have to look for buyers for their products since the buyers will be coming to them and buying goats in bulk to be slaughtered and the meat delivered to local supermarkets and butchery outlets.

Thembekile Ncube from Sizalobuhle Village, Insiza District, Matabeleland South province believes that having a sustainable system for marketing goats could open new opportunities for rural farmers like her. “It will help women since most of them are unemployed and rely on small livestock they keep”, she said. “Since this is a drought year, it is difficult to feed the children”, she continued, “Goats are easy to sell compared to cattle. If there is a good marketing structure that allows women like me to send their goats to auction floor that could save us a lot. I could make money to buy food and other provisions”. Another villager from Majiji Village, Bubi District, Matabeleland North province, Limukani Ndlovu also felt that the presence of sale pens for goats in his district could improve the lives of the people somehow as the prices are likely to increase. “It will help by enabling us to sell our goats nearby since we will not have to travel long distances looking for urban centers where we could sell goats. I am sure that the prices for the goats will be good since the farmer will not have to pay much on transporting goats”, he concluded.

The unemployment among the youth stands at 77, 4% according to the ZimVAC survey. And the lack of income generating projects is at 54. 7%. With the scarcity of jobs and lack of income generating projects, the young people are the most affected. They could be empowered through agricultural projects where they could be independent.

Mr. Addmore Chikowa is a livestock expert and works for the agriculture ministry. He believes that the local governments (rural district councils) should work with local communities and farmers unions to set up the marketing structures in various localities. He applauds the initiative by Zimbabwe Agriculture Growth Program (ZAGP) working with NGOs like COSV for establishing sites for the auctioning of goats similar to that which is used for cattle. Says Mr. Chikowa “goat producers must be organized to chat and advocate for their participation in the meats value chain. Goat meat is a basic for the communal while it is a substitute for the urbanites when beef and chicken prices soar.” And he continues “Goat meat has been envied during Christmas or Ramadan period and that is why most goat sale pens have not been used and valued much because those that buy them for resale or slaughter can get them easily from homesteads than sale pens. Once farmers pull their efforts together and have these goats sold on auction points like cattle, their value is bound to increase better than sale at household. The same call goes out to the farmer to produce quality goats that have more meat than bones which then appeals to the buyer, hence bringing better return and triggers demand and production improvement. There is a need to improve and promote packaging and presentation e.g. deboning, making of mince as is done with beef and also sell by cuts and grade.”

This livestock expert believes there is more value in grading the goats at sale pens/ auctions. “Then also producers need to be paid by grade of live animals or carcasses to see value of their effort. All this can be done if the farmers advocate for it if they are to be regarded as champions in their trades. Grading systems can be improved once production systems improve” he observed, “and research institutions are there to play their role. Extension officers have always taught on nutrition, breeding and marketing but it calls for the farmer to see value in what they produce and that is $$$. They should do what they do as a business not side hassle or hobby or subsistence” he remarked. “A mind set change, a transformation required.” He also pointed out that climate change has shown that goats tolerate harsh weather conditions better than cattle and cannot succumb easily to drought. There is money in goats if farmers could take goat rearing seriously. “ The world is changing especially with healthy conscious people” he said in his parting shot “ they now want less cholesterol levels in meats they consume and goats and rabbits will soon be optional types of meats.”