Unlocking next generation goat production and value-addition

NEW business opportunities, such as meat goat production, exist for Zimbabweans to diversify their farm operations and to explore alternative enterprises and innovative marketing systems to increase their farm income, while boosting the nutrition of our people.

As a farm animal, the goat can be used to produce a variety of products, such as milk, cheese and yoghurt, meat, wool and such body products as soap and therapeutic skin creams.

Whether you are interested in goats for their leather, dairy products or for filling your fridge, your choice and management of available breeds can make the difference between making money and costing you money.

No matter which type of goat you are considering keeping, knowing the tricks of the trade will allow you to make the most out of your goats without losing your shirt in the process.

In Zimbabwe, goats have a long-standing negative reputation. They are regarded with disdain.

They are regarded as highly troublesome, impatient and naughty domestic animals in comparison to cattle or sheep.

It’s almost an oxymoron that we have a month called Mbudzi (November) named after goats in the Shona language, yet many local farmers have a disdain for the animal.

To complicate matters, the goat value chain is highly distorted that consumers are deprived of high quality, safe and affordable goat meat.

At the same time, many Zimbabweans continue to entertain the myth that goat meat stinks.

In many households, goat meat is a no-no. Fortunately, interest in goat farming is increasing in Zimbabwe, hence the need to reimagine the place of the goat in our national consciousness.

We must make a concerted effort to increase our national goat herd from the present measly 4,3 million to 25 million by 2025.

First, we need to address the issue of inbreeding which is perhaps the biggest bane to successful goat production.

Goats are versatile and thrive in environments that are difficult for other livestock.

They are multifunctional and produce a wide range of products from fertiliser, meat, milk, pharmaceuticals to leather, among others.

A highly disorganised supply chain probably explains why goats have not been part of Zimbabwe’s food culture.

Due to middlemen who reap where they did not sow, goat meat is difficult to find or is too expensive compared to other meat.

There are very few farmers who are rearing goats at a commercial level.

The selective breeding and feeding regimes that meat animals have had to improve their conformation and yield have never been applied to goats.

Goat carcasses are seen as inferior to other meat animals.

Re-evaluating the goat’s place in Zimbabwe can help unlock the hidden opportunity which could help in building a collective and shared economy in the next decade.

We need to maximise production capacity at the farm level through fencing, paddocking, penning, feed, veterinary care and access to water.

We need to make our farms more efficient and the goats healthier in order to increase yield.

Work is also required at the agricultural policy level to reposition the goat. We need to agree on a national code on how to keep and sell our goats.

A national campaign to make goat meat mainstream among consumers can also help to increase the value of the goat.

Though less common on the Zimbabwean table, goat meat is a delicious change from beef, chicken and pork.

We can also leverage on technology to maximise goat production. For instance, genetics and feed technology can help to dynamically transform the goat industry.

Technology can be leveraged on how to look after goats in a manner that can dynamically boost goat production and investment in goats by Zimbabweans.

Goats can, indeed, change lives if we can sustain the growing interest and adopt new perspectives to goat production and value-addition.