The socioeconomics of livestock keeping in two South African communities

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A black man's bank The South African government has prioritised a reduction of poverty and increased food security in rural parts of South Africa through agrarian transformation. As the bearers and beneficiaries of rural development initiatives, smallholder farmers, including those keeping livestock, loom large in this arena. Likewise, on international development agendas steered by bodies such as the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation), smallholders are prioritized as the engines of national economies. This book, based on a pilot study of two livestock keeping communities along the Mpumalanga – Limpopo border, explores smallholder households in order to paint a picture of the challenges faced by smallholder livestock farmers, the practices and knowledge of primary animal healthcare (PAHC) among these farmers, relationships between the state and the smallholders, gendered issues, and the relationship between poor socioeconomic conditions and the keeping of livestock. This book opens up a variety of research and policy questions that encourage further exploration and study.

List of tables

List of figures

List of photographs

Executive summary

Acknowledgements

List of abbreviations and acronyms

Chapter 1: Poverty, livestock production and gendered implications: Contextualising the pilot study

Chapter 2: Conceptual and literature review

Chapter 3: Approach, design and methods

Chapter 4: Qualitative findings

Chapter 5: Findings from survey data

Chapter 6: Discussion and recommendations

References