The objective of this study was to examine the factors influencing smallholder producers' potential sell cattle and identify marketing opportunities for sustainable beef production in South Africa. A total 95 structured questionnaires administered Ncorha Gxwalibomvu communities Eastern Cape province Average herd size per household higher (P < 0.05) (13.7 ± 1.9) than (11.3 1.9). logit model showed that households with few members, young farmers, Christians, large herds, low income levels...

Sustainable livestock production is important to ensure continuous availability of resources for future generations. Most smallholder farming systems in developing countries have been perceived be environmentally, socially and economically unsustainable. Farming with that robust adaptable harsh environments especially semi-arid arid environments. This review discusses the different sheep employed by farmers associated sustainability problems facing them. The also gives an overview indicators...

Ninety-five farmers were involved in deriving a set of social, environmental, and economic sustainability indicators, which used to assess the smallholder cattle production system Ncorha Gxwalibomvu communities Eastern Cape, South Africa. The derived indicators scored on 5-point Likert-type scale aggregated provide net score. Net scores grouped into three categories; non-sustainable (<33%), partially sustainable (33–65%), (>65%). Aggregate showed that Gxwalibomvu, respectively, was socially...

Commercialization of smallholder agriculture in South Africa is underpinned by reforms to improve livestock off-take communal areas and engage farmers with formal markets. To achieve this, Custom Feeding Programmes (CFPs) were established the condition cattle prior their sale into markets 'systematise' informal marketing enabling participants higher market prices. We evaluate sustainability eight CFPs located Eastern Cape Province terms ability add value production encourage participation....

Communal rangelands are a global resource of significant benefit to society through the provision critical ecosystem goods and services such as carbon sequestration, water livestock forage. The relative importance provided by communal is driven social environmental priorities range different stakeholders at local, regional national level. Understanding potential service trade-offs (and synergies) vital for making informed inclusive decisions part process stakeholder engagement, both in goal...

Water scarcity is amongst the major challenges threatening smallholder sheep production in subsistence-oriented communal farms dryland areas. Local contextual factors are a prerequisite for effective policy development and optimisation of water resources management production. Two-hundred fifty-two structured questionnaires were administered to investigate that influence farmers' perceived impact on dry ecozones Cape provinces South Africa identify their local response strategies. Logit...

Beef traders' and consumers' perceptions on the development of a natural pasture-fed beef (NPB) brand by smallholder cattle producers were investigated. In total, 18 meat traders (five abattoirs 13 retailers) 155 consumers interviewed using structured questionnaires. All had potential but not willing to support NPB citing farmers' limited ability supply sufficient volumes high-quality cattle. Consumers (81%) prepared purchase upon availability market (80%) pay premium. Logistic regression...

Efforts to exploit the central roles of cattle drive agriculture and rural development in low-income countries recorded limited success owing their narrow focus on modernizing commercializing low-input farming. Most programs failed take cognizance heterogeneous range complex relationships between environmental, economic, social institutional challenges that limit The current qualitative literature review evaluates economic sustainability delivery impacts leading farming sector South Africa...

The process of consulting stakeholders, particularly farmers, in developing appropriate indicators for sustainability evaluation low-input ruminant systems is often compromised by limited awareness and understanding the concept farmers countries. Insights from farmers' challenges present useful prospects context-specific systems. In review, a meta-analysis was used to develop farmer challenge-derived farming system sub-Saharan Africa. Key ecological reported were low forage quality, poor...

Pig genetic resources in Africa originate from different regions and were introduced through several migration pathways. Genetic analysis has shown a strong phylogeographic pattern, with pigs on the eastern parts showing high frequency of alleles Far East while ones western show European influence. This highlights influence trade routes legacy African pigs. They have, however, since adapted to local environments produce unique populations attributes. Most are now reared resource-constrained...

In South Africa, livelihoods of smallholder cattle farmers are constrained by a lack appropriate production knowledge, climate change, inadequate support services, societal inequity, irrelevant pro-poor policies and inappropriate delivery improved livestock technologies. A transdisciplinary team local international researchers conducted workshop to explore opportunities constraints the beef custom feeding programme in Eastern Cape Province using participatory approaches, including visioning...

The sustainability of low-input ruminant farming systems remains poorly understood and evaluation frameworks that adequately capture their complexity are lacking. multiple goals producers, multipurpose roles ruminants, animal welfare issues, credence goods services the system omitted in existing frameworks. In context, development a novel comprehensive framework for evaluating low-put is important. current manuscript, therefore, provides an overview systemic process developing participatory...

<title>Abstract</title> Supplementing livestock grazing communal rangelands with leaf-meals from <italic>Acacia</italic> trees, which are currently considered as problematic invasive alien plants globally, may be a sustainable way of exploiting their desirable nutritional and anthelmintic properties. The current study evaluated worm burdens growth performance lambs low-quality supplemented prepared the plant species; <italic>Acacia mearnsii</italic> or <italic>A. dealbata</italic>. Forty,...

Ecosystem services in the South African grassland biome are being impacted by presence of invasive alien plants (IAPs), particularly from Australian genus Acacia. IAPs have elevated landscape water use and determining fluxes is crucial to defining suitable interventions. This study evaluates three models flux over IAP-invaded against evapotranspiration (ET) measured a large-aperture scintillometer (LAS). ET was modelled using an energy balance model (MEDRUSH), biophysical...

Pig genetic resources in Africa originate from different regions. Genetic analysis has shown a strong phylogeographic pattern with the pigs on eastern parts showing high frequency of alleles Far East while ones western show European influence. This highlights influence trade routes legacy African pigs. They have, however, since adapted to local environments produce unique populations attributes. Most are now reared resource-constrained smallholdings under free-range conditions. largely owned...