O. A. Ikwuegbu, G. Tarawali and R. M. NjweILCA, P.M.B. 2248, Kaduna, Nigeria
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and methods
Results
Discussion and conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
This study analysed 875 records of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats owned by 45 farmers and collected over 30 months. In the wet season WAD goats had access to either fodder banks or natural pasture. After crop harvest, animals roamed freely. Litter sizes were 1.67 + 0.08 and 1.56 + 0.06, respectively, on the two grazing systems and were affected by parity (P<0.05). Births accounted for 87% of all entries while multiple births accounted for about 68 % of all kids. Castrates accounted for about 60% of all mature males. Between 35 and 39% of adult goats were sold for meat and offtake accounted for between 51 and 53 % of all exits. Sufficient cash was generated from goat offtake to purchase farm inputs and some household items. Goats play other important roles in the socio-economy of the traditional smallholder farming system.
Place de la chèvre naine d'Afrique occidentale dans l'économie de la petite exploitation agricole dans la zone subhumide du Nigéria
Résumé
Cette étude analyse 875 relevés effectués sur des chèvres naines d'Afrique occidentale détenues par 45 exploitants, et recueillis sur une période de 30 mois. Les caprins séjournaient sur des banques fourragères ou des pâturages naturels durant la saison humide et étaient laissés en pâture libre après la récolte. La taille des portées était repectivement de 1,67 ± 0,08 et de 1,56 ± 0,06 pour ces deux systèmes de pâture et subissait l'influence de la parité (P<0,05). Les naissances représentaient 87% de l'ensemble des entrées. 68% des chevreaux provenaient de naissances multiples. Les animaux castrés constituaient 60% des mâles adultes. De 35 à39% des animaux adultes étaient vendus comme animaux de boucherie. L'écoulement représentait 51 à 53% des sorties et procurait le revenu monétaire nécessaire à l'achat d'intrants agricoles et de certains articles de ménage. Les caprins jouaient d'autres rôles importants dans la socio-économie du système traditionnel de la petite exploitation.
FAO (1991) estimated the goat population of Africa in 1990 to be 171 million, out of which 22 million were found in Nigeria. A recent livestock census, however, puts the goat population in Nigeria at 34.5 million (RIM, 1991).
The keeping of goats in any community is related to the value attached to their production. Goats are mainly kept for meat (Williamson and Payne, 1978). Brinkmann and Adu (1977) estimated that goat meat accounted for about 20% of all meat eaten in Nigeria. This is probably an underestimate as goats slaughtered in rural areas are seldom recorded.
In addition, goats play an important role in the welfare of the smallholder arable farmer in Nigeria through the income generated when sold. There is global concern about alleviating poverty and improving the welfare of the rural poor. The sale of goats could improve the welfare of farmers, particularly women, most of whom own goats and who, along with children, are entrusted with the care of small ruminants.
About 85% of the smallholder farmers in the Nigerian subhumid zone keep West African Dwarf (WAD) goats (Bayer, 1986). Traditional methods of keeping goats in the wet season are tethering or free-range grazing on enclosed natural pasture. While this restriction of movement may prevent crop damage, it induces feed stress. The introduction of herbaceous legumes into enclosed fallow land is attractive to farmers because it alleviates the feed constraint in the wet season. At the same time it fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere, helping to restore or increase soil fertility for subsequent cropping. There is, however, little information on WAD goat offtake in the subhumid zone (SHZ) of Nigeria.
This paper documents a 30-month ILCA case study of goat flocks in Ganawuri, in the subhumid zone of Nigeria, to assess the contribution of goat offtake to the economy of the smallholder farmer.
Site
This study was carried out at Ganawuri, Plateau State of Nigeria, located at 9°N and 8°35'E. The average annual rainfall is about 1400 mm, 95% of which falls between April and October. Cultivation density ranges from 40 to 70% (Bayer, 1986).
Animals
Flocks of goats from 45 households were tagged and recorded for 30 months to determine flock population dynamics. Flock sizes ranged from 4 to 20 animals per household and belonged to smallholder farmers. Animals were weighed every two weeks using hanging spring scales. They were vaccinated annually against peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and routinely treated for ecto-and endoparasites. Birth weights, birth type and birth dates were recorded. When this study began in August 1989, 18 farmers with 158 goats were included. Eight had access to a communal fodder bank and 10 relied on natural pasture for wet-season grazing. In 1990 there were 40 farmers. Seventeen used fodder banks, 23 used natural pasture, and they had 324 animals. At the beginning of August 1991 there were 45 farmers, 19 using fodder banks while 23 used natural pasture. They had 157 does, 15 bucks, 66 castrates, 57 young males and 100 young females, making a total of 395 animals. There was a concomitant increase in the number of fodder banks from one in 1989 to 9 and 11 in 1990 and 1991, respectively. Where farmers shared fodder banks, their animals were treated as single flocks for analysis.
Housing and feeding
Goats were housed at night in small mud huts with thatched or metal roofs. In the dry season, animals were allowed to graze freely from natural pasture (NP), which included grasses and browses. In the wet season they were tethered on natural pasture or were allowed to graze freely on enclosed natural pasture. In addition, some flocks grazed freely from small plots or mini fodder banks (FB) of about 0.1 ha of herbaceous legume. After crop harvest, they roamed freely and grazed crop residues or were fed household wastes. At the beginning of the next cropping season they were again confined. The period of greatest feed stress was usually August to October.
Pasture establishment
Stylosanthes pasture was established according to the method of Otsyina et al (1987). The seed rate used was 12 kg/ha, and 150 kg of single superphosphate (SSP)/ha was applied. Early-season grazing was used to control grass growth. Pasture was top-dressed annually with 100 kg SSP/ha.
Data analysis
A total of 875 entries were made over the 30-month period. The animals were divided into two groups based on the differing wet-season feed regimes. These were either enclosed herbaceous legume or natural pasture, which included enclosure or tethering. Frequencies of exits from and entries to flocks and the reason for these occurrences were analysed in relation to wet season grazing system and sex of the animal. General linear models (SAS, 1987) were used to analyse litter size, using parity, birth type and sex as fixed effects.
Economic analysis
In order to apportion monetary value to offtake, the weight of animals sold or slaughtered for meat and the average weight of a weaner were calculated. The cost in Nigerian Naira (N) of fertiliser was taken as N 1/kg and labour as N 4/man-hour for 16 hr. The cost of establishing a small FB was taken as N 80.
Births accounted for 86.7% of the entries, with purchase and transfers accounting for the rest. Females accounted for 56.7% of all entries. Of the pioneer stock, 68% were females and about 13% were breeding males (Table 1). Castrates accounted for 60% of the pioneer mature males.
Table 1. Frequency distribution of entries of West African Dwarf goats to flocks in Ganawuri by wet-season grazing system and sex over a 30-month period.
|
|
Grazing system |
|||||
|
Fodder bank |
Natural pasture |
|||||
|
Parameter |
Cast. |
Male |
Female |
Cast. |
Male |
Female |
|
Pioneer |
21 |
19 |
83 |
37 |
22 |
127 |
|
Purchase |
1 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
15 |
|
Transfer |
5 |
3 |
14 |
4 |
3 |
15 |
|
Gift |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
Birth |
2 |
92 |
108 |
2 |
126 |
161 |
|
Total |
30 |
115 |
210 |
45 |
154 |
321 |
Cast. = castrate.
Table 2 shows the distribution of exits of WAD goats under the two wet-season grazing systems. Between 35 and 39% of all mature goats were sold for meat. The NP and FB wet-season grazing systems gave overall percentage offtakes of 51 and 53%, respectively. Overall percentage offtake was defined as per cent sold for meat + transfer + slaughtered for ill health. Deaths of kids up to one year of age accounted for between 12.8 and 14.5% of all exits.
Table 2. Frequency distribution of exits from flocks and reproductive performance of West African Dwarf goats under two wet-season grazing systems.
|
|
Grazing system |
|||
|
Fodder bank |
Natural pasture |
|||
|
Parameter |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
|
Adult |
||||
|
Sold for meat |
70 |
39.1 |
94 |
35.1 |
|
Transfer |
16 |
8.9 |
32 |
11.9 |
|
Slaughtered for ill health |
9 |
5.0 |
11 |
4.1 |
|
Unknown |
3 |
1.7 |
1 |
0.4 |
|
Gift |
14 |
7.8 |
31 |
11.6 |
|
Died accident/sickness |
7 |
3.9 |
11 |
4.1 |
|
Kids |
||||
|
Died within 1 year |
23 |
12.8 |
39 |
14.5 |
|
Abortion or still birth |
10 |
5.6 |
8 |
3.0 |
|
Transferred |
9 |
5.0 |
13 |
4.8 |
|
Slaughtered |
9 |
5.0 |
10 |
3.7 |
|
Sold |
3 |
1.7 |
9 |
3.4 |
|
Lost or stolen |
3 |
1.7 |
9 |
3.4 |
|
Accidental death |
3 |
1.7 |
- |
- |
|
Reproduction |
||||
|
Does |
43 |
73 |
|
|
|
Parturitions |
80 |
126 |
|
|
|
Parturitions/doe |
1.86 |
1.73 |
|
|
|
Litter size |
1.67 |
1.56 |
|
|
Legume supplementation significantly (P<0.05) reduced weight losses in non-pregnant does on FB when compared with those on NP between August and October. Viability of kids of up to one year of age lay between 86 and 89%. Table 3 shows that litter size was significantly (P<0.001) affected by parity, with first kidders having smaller litters. Average litter sizes were 1.67 ± 0.08 and 1.56 ± 0.06 on the FB and NP feeding regimes, respectively. Multiple births accounted for about 68% of all kids in the study. Does that remained in the system throughout the period showed improved productivity on the fodder bank feeding system (1.86 vs 1.73 parturitions/doe). Grazing of fodder banks is thus beneficial in this cropping system.
The average weight of animals sold or slaughtered for meat was 22 kg. A goat currently sells for about N 10 per kg liveweight (US$ 1= N 18.5). The average weight of a weaner at 150 days of age is 8 kg (unpublished data). This would give an average value of 220 per adult goat and N 80 for each weaner when sold.
Figures based on numbers of animals sold, given in Table 2, show that sales of adults (sold for meat, transferred out or slaughtered because of ill health) from the two grazing systems amounted to N 51,040 (232 x 220). Kid sales amounted to N 960 (12x N 80). This sum was generated by 45 farmers over two years, which comes to N 580/household per year. Actual sales from 13 households, each owning nine animals or more, gave an income of N 633/household per annum.
Table 3. Least squares means of litter sizes of WAD goats in Ganawuri in the SHZ of Nigeria.
|
Effect |
Level |
Parturition |
Mean ± SE |
|
Treatment |
FB |
121 |
1.67 ± 0.082 |
|
|
NP |
171 |
1.56 ± 0.064 |
|
Year |
1989 |
24 |
1.64 ± 118 |
|
|
1990 |
115 |
1.59 ± 0.069 |
|
|
1991 |
154 |
1.61 ± 0.053 |
|
Parity |
|
|
*** |
|
|
1 |
79 |
1.31a ± 0.075 |
|
|
2 |
45 |
1.65b ± 0.009 |
|
|
3 |
68 |
1.67b ± 0.073 |
|
|
4 |
61 |
1.74bc ± 0.079 |
|
|
³5 |
40 |
1.70bc ± 0.102 |
|
Season | |||
|
|
Dec-Feb |
40 |
1.67 ± 0.097 |
|
|
Mar-May |
86 |
1.62 ± 0.074 |
|
|
Jul-Aug |
80 |
1.6 ± 0.083 |
|
|
Sep-Nov |
77 |
1.56 ± 0.076 |
FB = Fodder hank; NP = Natural pasture.
Means with different superscripts within each column are significantly different (P<005)
The overall size of a WAD goat flock at any time is a function of entries and exits. Offtake was mainly to secure cash to purchase household needs such as food and farm inputs. In addition, goats could be slaughtered for meat. Bayer (1986), using a small data set, reported offtake at 23.4%. This was made up of all transfers out, sales and slaughters. This study showed the offtake of mature animals to account for between 51 and 53% of exits.
Births accounted for approximately 87% of all entries. This suggests that flocks are able to maintain their numbers through birth replacements, partly due to the tendency of WAD goats to produce multiple births. Of particular interest is the appreciable number of animals given out as gifts (10% of exits) in contrast to entries (0.9%). This suggests that the greater portion of animals received as gifts were not added to the flocks but were eaten or sold.
Pioneer flocks showed a preponderance of castrates over bucks. This suggests that the castrates were used as the "savings account" which could be drawn upon at short notice to meet family needs. Goats which were sold or slaughtered for meat also included those that were needed for ceremonies such as weddings or communal feasts (Bayer, 1986). These ceremonies are part of the social system and help to sustain the smallholder farming system. Most goat sales were completed just before the cropping season. This allowed farmers to reduce the labour requirement for tethering during a period when labour was required for cultivating their crops.
The low mortality rate contrasts with the higher mortality of 40 to 50% reported in the humid zone (Reynolds et al, 1988). This may in part be due to the small veterinary package provided in this study which improved flock survival.
Litter size and survival rate were improved among goats on the fodder bank. The slight increase in litter sizes and birth rate provides evidence of improved reproductive efficiency for goats on the fodder bank grazing regime. These figures also support incorporating herbaceous legumes into this cropping system.
The observed ratio of intact males to does of 1:10 in this study and 1:16 in another study in the same zone (Bayer, 1986) indicates that more breeding males than necessary are kept within these flocks. However, the total absence of breeding males in some flocks is a cause for concern. The tethering of all animals in the day during the wet season means that no breeding will occur in flocks that do not keep breeding males.
With money realised from the sale of a goat a smallholder farmer can purchase about 200 kg of fertiliser for use during the cropping season. The average farmer in Ganawuri cultivates about 2-3 ha. The fertiliser requirement could, therefore, be met by selling three goats. In addition, manure could be collected from goathouses and used as fertiliser. The fertiliser and labour costs required for establishing an FB could be further reduced by undersowing a cereal crop with stylo a year before the land is left fallow (Tarawali et al, 1987).
The cooperation of smallholder farmers is appreciated. The partial financial support provided by the National Livestock Projects Division of the Federal Department of Livestock and Pest Control Services, Abuja, Nigeria, is gratefully acknowledged.
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