Gender impact on Sheep and Goat production in Botswana. A case of Gaborone region

Abstract

A survey of 100 randomly selected farming households keeping livestock was conducted in ten randomly selected villages in the Gaborone agricultural region from October 1997 to February 1998. Data acquisition was done through questionnaire, interviews, and direct observation of the animals.
The total sheep population was 216 which consisted of 128 ewes and 88 males. Thirty-three (33) farmers (14 females and 19 males) had sheep with an average of 6.55 +/- 4.22 sheep per household. The total goat population was 1577 which was made up of 874 does and 703 males. Eighty-four, (84) farmers (28 females and 56 males) owned goats with an average of 18.7 +/- 11.83 goats per household. The animals were kept extensively by 98% of the farmers, 59% of the farmers fed crop residues to animals. The animals browsed and grazed with 12% of the farmers providing supplementary feeds. They were watered once a day by 94% of the farmers and twice a day by the rest, from boreholes, streams, dams, and taps. The animals were kept mostly for meat, milk, skins and manure. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the male and female headed households in stock ownership and management practices. This relative gender equality in farming operations is due to extra assistance and subsidies granted to female farmers by Botswana government through Financial Assistance Policy (FAP).