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In developing countries, agricultural cooperatives are increasingly used by farmers as a mechanism to gain market power in input and output markets. To assess the impact of cooperative membership on market channel selection and pricing outcomes, we conducted a survey of 661 Nepali goat farmers in 2019–20 and applied an endogenous switching probit model to analyze the data. Our findings indicate that cooperative membership had a significant and positive influence on farmers choosing cooperatives as their market channel. Additionally, farmers who sold their goats through cooperatives received significantly higher prices than those who sold through local markets or to goat collectors. We also observed that farmers who had access to price information were able to obtain better prices for their goats. Overall, our study highlights the potential benefits of promoting cooperative membership and marketing through cooperatives, as these efforts can help farmers improve the returns on their agricultural investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To help goat farmers in value addition and improve return on their farming activities, a study was carried out to develop and study the acceptability of chevon bacon. Thigh, loin and rump muscles from goat carcasses were trimmed, injected with brine solution and cured for three days at 2-5° . The muscles were drained and smoked before being placed in a preheated oven at 60-70° for one hour. Pork bacon was bought from the market to compare with chevon bacon. Analyses for crude protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and residual nitrate/nitrite content were carried out. Microbial analyses for total bacterial count, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were done. Sensory evaluation was also conducted using a 9 point hedonic scale. Results were analysed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) version 9.4 (SAS, 2012). Pork had four times more fat than chevon bacon. Iron content of chevon was fourfold that of pork at 2.95 mg and 0.72 mg respectively. Zinc content of pork was half that of chevon. Both bacons were negative for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Chevon bacon had lower modal scores on aroma and mouthfeel than pork bacon. On the basis of the odds ratios, the panelists were 3.77 times more likely to prefer chevon bacon for its overall flavour. Using the principal component analysis results, mouthfeel and initial juiciness were the main determinants of preference for chevon bacon. Valorisation of goat meat has the potential to drive farmers to rear more goats and increase their incomes and livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the spread of anthelmintic resistance (AR), endoparasite monitoring consolidates its role for a more sustainable targeting of treatments. A survey on endoparasites in dairy goat farms of north-eastern Italy was conducted to test a monitoring approach based on a farm-tailored sample size. Farm management and parasites control practices were investigated in 20 farms through a questionnaire survey. Further, fecal samples were collected (November 2018--September 2019) from 264 animals from 13 farms and were analyzed individually with a modified McMaster method and subsequently pooled to perform a coproculture. Coccidia (78.4%), gastrointestinal strongyles (37.9%), Strongyloides (28.4%), Skrjabinema (18.9%), Trichuris (8.0%) and Nematodirus/Marshallagia (0.4%) were identified. Abundances were higher for coccidia and gastrointestinal strongyles. Haemonchus (71%) was the dominant gastrointestinal nematode. Pasture and age class resulted in the main risk factors at the multivariable analysis through a negative binomial regression model. Results from farm monitoring indicate that our approach can be a cost-effective decision tool to target treatments more effectively, but farmers need to be educated about the importance of parasitological testing, which is currently scarcely implemented, against the risk of AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goat farming is a major livelihood activity for most smallholder farmers in Botswana. To ensure sustainable livelihoods for these farmers, a shift from the prevalent traditional and subsistence system to a more market-oriented one is considered necessary. Market participation is widely viewed as an effective means of addressing poverty which is particularly rampant in most rural areas of Botswana and other developing countries. Little evidence is however available on the link between market participation and household welfare, especially among livestock and, in particular, small stock farmers. This paper evaluates the effect of market participation on household welfare among smallholder goat farmers. Estimating an endogenous switching regression model, the results show a positive and significant effect of market participation on household income for both participant and non-participant farmers. This effect was found to be more pronounced among the non-participants had they decided to sell. The results suggest that goat farmers should be encouraged to engage in market participation other than their traditional ways of keeping goats. This implies that existing policies and programs that increase market participation and encourage market-oriented farming should be revised in order to provide efficient and sustainable support. Furthermore, the study recommends that information on goat markets should reach rural areas where most farmers reside and are unable to access technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with developed nations, developing countries are more vulnerable to climate change and variability. In this study, a coping and adaptation strategies (CCCAs) index, data envelopment analysis (DEA), and fractional regression model (FRM) are used to explore the impact of farmers' CCCAs on technical efficiency (TE) among goat farmers in Ghana. Using survey data collected from goat farmers in the northern part of Ghana, the results reveal the following: first, most of the farmers were inefficient in their production. Thus, out of the 124 goat farmers, only 13 (10.5%), 3 (2.4%), and 4 (3.2%) were efficient under variable return to scale (VRS), constant returns to scale (CRS), and scale efficiency (SE), respectively. Second, regarding a quantitative relationship, CCCAs can help increase farmer' efficiency. Again CCCAs impact on female farmers' TE was profound than their counterparts. Finally, CCCAs have heterogeneous impacts on goat farmers in different groups. Our findings provide policy implications to improve CCCAs and enhance the goat farmers' TE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species of animal being reared for milk, meat, fur and skin. Parasitism continues to be an important concern for goat farmers around the world. Death due to parasitism is an important constraint associated with the rearing of goats. Statistical data available over the past 2 years in the Department of Veterinary Pathology, CVAS, Mannuthy shows that the death rate in goats due to gastrointestinal parasitism is alarming. As per history collected, scientific deworming is not in regular practice among goat producers. This suggests that timely evaluation of faeces and subsequent deworming is mandatory for profitable rearing of caprine species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A family size on-farm trial was conducted to evaluate an alternative to soften the thorns of a wild cactus (Opuntia tomentosa) employing a 5% salty-silage approach. The participatory action-research trial on a family-scale goat farm took place at the municipality of Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato, México. The flexibility of the spine was evaluated manually at 0, 7, 14 and 21 days of treatment. Flexibility of the thorns was evident since after 14 days of treatment. Goats readily accepted the saltysilage product. It is considered that a social technology was generated for the use of native resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Worldwide, goats have always been linked to man, mainly due to the quality of their production of meat, milk, and wool. The aim of this paper is to present the general characteristics of household systems for goat production in the municipality of Camagüey, Cuba. Methods: A survey was applied to 46 household farmers in urban and suburban areas of the city of Camagüey, Cuba. Descriptive statistics was used in the study, along with hierarchical clustering for system classification. Results: All the farmers are over 20 years of age, predominantly males with secondary education, on average. Overall, 54.3% of them does not own or is leasing land, and 47.8% works independently from any organizations; the rest belongs to a few cooperatives. The farmers have access to little input and investment funds, and their labor is framed within their households, without salaries; their main way of sustenance is not goat breeding. The herds comprised between 1 and 54 goats, of which 27.5% are milking females. The systems were classified into three types, considering the total of goats, grazing hours, milking goats, years of experience, educational level, and family members engaged in the activity. The first group showed a higher educational level, longer grazing time, and a larger number of animals; the second averaged 5 hours of grazing and eighth grade of education. The indicators in these two groups were higher than in the third group. Conclusions: Household goat production systems were characterized in the municipality of Camagüey, which will contribute to more strategic work projects that promote local sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most suckling kids are raised on farms for cheese production, and many goat farmers rear kids with milk replacers. The aim of this work was to study the influence of the use of milk replacers on the color of four muscles. A total of 246 suckling kids of eight breeds were slaughtered to achieve carcasses of 5 kg. The color of the biceps femoris, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and longissimus thoracis muscles was measured with a spectrophotometer, and CIELab coordinates were registered. In addition, the pH of longissimus thoracis was measured. The effect of the rearing system (RS) on the color of the studied muscles is strongly modulated by breed. In general terms, there are two groups of kids according to the color of meat. The first group has great lightness and hue angle including Malagueña, Palmera, and Tinerfeña fed natural and artificial milk. The second group with great redness includes Retinta, Payoya, and Verata fed natural and artificial milk together with Florida fed natural milk and Cabra del Guadarrama fed milk replacers. Hence, farms should consider selecting a breed and RS together. Most of the kid meat with high pH comes from kids raised on milk replacers. Because artificial RSs use very early weaning, which might induce a high pH and dark meat, two artificial rearing strategies can be proposed. The first strategy is to choose less sensitive breeds that produce meat with a normal pH. The second strategy is to restrict suckling of natural milk but minimize separation from the mother. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public interest is stimulating farming industries to improve animal welfare in production systems. Indoor housing of ruminants has received scrutiny because of perceived intensiveness and lack of naturalness. Animal welfare has traditionally focused on health benefits (e.g. bedding management and reducing disease) and reducing negative experiences (e.g. painful husbandry practices). Recent attention to animals having "a life worth living" extends expectations to provide increased care and opportunities for positive experiences and natural behaviors. Although not all natural behaviors necessarily contribute to improved welfare, we present evidence for why many are important, and for how they can be promoted in commercial systems. Worldwide, commercial dairy goats (Capra hircus) are frequently housed in large open barns with space to move and soft bedding for lying; however, this is not sufficient to promote the range of natural behaviors of goats, which in turn suggests that commercial housing could be improved. The basis for this thinking is from the range of behaviors expressed by the Capra genus. Collectively, these species have evolved cognitive and behavioral strategies to cope with harsh and changing environments, as well as variable and limited vegetation. The rocky and often steep terrain that goats inhabit allows for predator avoidance and access to shelter, so it is not surprising that domesticated goats also seek out elevation and hiding spaces; indeed, their hoof structure is designed for the movement and grip in such rugged environments. The browsing techniques and flexibility in diet selection of wild, feral and extensively managed goats, appears to be equally important to housed goats, highlighting the need for more complexity in how and what goats are fed. Goats naturally live in small, dynamic groups, governed by complex social structures in which horns play a strong role. Commercial housing systems should consider the benefits of more natural-sized social groups and revisit the rationale behind horn removal. We suggest that cognitive stimulation is a potential welfare improvement for goats in commercial settings. Goat cognitive abilities, which enabled success in complex and variable social and physical environments, are unchallenged in uniform environments, potentially leading to negative affective states. We make suggestions for housing improvements that could be readily adopted into current systems without compromising production efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study considered the training needs of sheep and goat farmers in Ekiti state, Nigeria. Specifically, the study profiled the socio-economic characteristics of sheep and goat farmers, assessed their knowledge and skill in small ruminant production management practices, determined the productivity of their management practices, identified their training needs and isolated factors influencing it. A total of 183 respondents for the study were selected via a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data for the study was collected using interview schedule and analysed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The average age of the farmers was 50 years and 88.0 per cent of them were literate. The average yearly income from small ruminant production was ₦9, 041. Farmers' level of knowledge was highest in identification of sick animals (x =9.1) but lowest in vaccination (x =1.3). The level of skill of farmers was highest in feeding of animals (x =4.3) but lowest in health management (x =2.5). The average productivity for goat in the study area was ₦29, 642 with many (62.8%) of the farmers producing below the group average value. Also, the average productivity for sheep was ₦50, 066 with 53.0 per cent of the farmers producing below the group average. Construction of modern houses and health management practices are some of the identified training needs of the farmers. Furthermore, age of farmers, their contact with extension agents and level of skill were some of the factors influencing their training needs. The study recommended that the identified training needs should be emphasized in any capacity building programme aimed at improving the productivity of small ruminant farmers in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the allocations and distributions of subsidies in the sheep sector in the previous years (2004-2009), the authors examined the sum of aids claimed and paid from 2010 to 2016 and their farm-size related changes. The following data were collected from the Agricultural and Rural Development Institute on payments under specific subsidy titles, classified by sheep and goat farm sizes: 0-50; 51-100, 101-200, 201-300 and also 0-100, 101-300, 301-500, 501-1000, 1001-5000 and above 5000. Data procession was carried out by the SPSS for Windows 22 program. The size and population of the examined sheep sector underwent visible changes during the studied years leading to a reduction rather than growth. Their analysis highlights that size distribution of sheep farms has changed significantly in recent years, combined with simultaneous modifications of their sheep stock sizes in production. Their conclusions suggest that effects of years and farm sizes in the sheep and goat sector have considerably modified the aid sums paid under different titles. JEL Classification: H5, Q14

A survey was conducted to study the health care practices adopted by goat keepers in northwest semi arid region of Rajasthan. The health care practices followed in experimental area by the respondents viz. use of veterinary facilities, isolation of sick animal, deworming, vaccination, sanitization of shed and control of external parasite, was not significantly affected by flock size. The 58.33 % respondents were not familiar with use of veterinary facilities and 53.33 % did not isolate their animals during sickness. Awareness towards deworming and vaccination against contagious diseases by the respondents were 68.34% and 10 % respectively in studied area but most of goat keepers (81.66%) were adopted sanitization practices in goat shed. The control of external parasites was practiced by 58.33 % of the respondents surveyed either through dipping (10%) or through dusting (43.33%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was undertaken to study the management practices and socio-economic factors affecting the farming of Jaunpuri goat in two districts of its native tracts in eastern Uttar Pradesh. viz., Allahabad and Jaunpur. Ten villages from Jaunpur and fifteen villages from Allahabad district were randomly selected for the present investigation. The findings revealed that most of the goat farmers in Jaunpur and Allahabad district were of marginal type in their land holding capacity with 47.61 and 68.18% respectively and they earned more than Rs.5000 per annum from goatery. Besides the goatery, the other professions of goat rearers are 60% farming, 33.33% labor, 6.67% small business in Jaunpur and 58.82% labour, 41.18% farming in Allahabad district. The literacy of the head of the Jaunpuri goat rearing family was 66.67 and 68.18% respectively in the Jaunpur and Allahabad district and most of farmers have 6-8 members per family. The farmers of both districts used to house their goats mostly during night time. The result indicated that 70.48 and 80.91% farmers from Jaunpur and Allahabad districts keep their animal in the house during night. However, 29.52 and 19.09% of the farmers used to keep their animals in the goat shed both day and night. The overall percentages of close and open type house were 27.91 and 72.09%, respectively in Jaunpur and Allahabad district. Most goat sheds were Kuccha type, because of the poor economic status of goat farmer in these districts. The Jaunpuri goat is dual type of goat which produces milk and meat both. Thus the present findings indicated that in both the districts the farmers reared this breed for dual purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goats are able to utilise marginal land that is, otherwise, deemed unsuitable for crop production in dry agro-ecological regions. This study evaluated goat management practices under smallholder farming conditions, in order to determine flock productivity and potential for improvement. A multistage sampling approach was used to randomly select participants in a survey. Eighty households were randomly selected before a semi-structured questionnaire and key informant interviews were employed to collect data on; demographic details, general livestock and goat management activities, goat flock dynamics and major constraints encountered by goat farmers. A Chi-square test was performed in the IBM SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Mean production indices recorded were: flock size 10.9 ± 7.82; age at first kidding, 13.29 ± 2.71 months; mating ratio (buck: doe), 1: 5.05; kids surviving to weaning, 5.58 ± 4.05 and age at castration, 5.4 ± 0.43 weeks. There was an association (χ 2  = 6.74, df = 1, P < 0.009) between flock size and mean grazing area. Reasons for keeping goats were; source of meat (96.2%), manure (96.2), income (92%) and symbol of wealth (87.5%). Goat mortality was a major challenge with predators (35%), unknown incidents (25%) and diseases (23%) being the most common causes. There is scope for improved productivity since, in addition to the high literacy levels providing basis for effective training and information dissemination, farmers already utilise recommended practices such as castration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genomic evaluations have been proposed as a mean to improve the reliabilities of the estimation of breeding values. This hypothesis has been tested using 50,649 lactation records from 19,067 Florida goats, daughters of 4397 dams and 500 sires. A sample of 538 dams and 87 sires from the formerly described population were genotyped with the Illumina 55 K Goat Bead-Chip (53,347 SNP). Genetic parameters were estimated using the animal model and REML methodology comparing two approaches: (i) a classical approach with the BLUP methodology; and (ii) a single step (ss) approach with the single step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP) methodology. The BLUPF90 software was used to obtain the genomic relationship matrix ( G ) and to estimate genetic parameters and breeding values. The results showed a correlation between A (pedigree relationship matrix) and G matrix of 0.826. When the full studied population was considered, no significant differences were observed between the estimations of the genetic parameters obtained with A and combined A and G matrices. The correlation between the EBV and GEBV was 0.989. An increment of 1.06% in the average reliability of the estimations was observed in the ssGBLUP vs. the traditional BLUP evaluation. When only the EBVs of the animals genotyped were compared, the correlation between the estimates obtained with both approaches decreased to 0.952, but with an increment of 5.86% of the average reliability of the GEBVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian research on the influence of the rate of stocking on pasture, animal and mohair growth, parasitism, mortality, and other nutritional and husbandry requirements are reviewed. Liveweight of Angora goats is the main determinant of clean mohair production, fibre diameter and meat production, but not of staple length. Both liveweight and fibre diameter are determinants of the incidence of medullated fibre. Changing the frequency of shearing affects all mohair fleece attributes. Body condition is highly correlated to the liveweight of Angora goats, to welfare risk and carcass production. The profitability of mohair enterprises declined as the proportion of does in the flock increased, associated with a decline in mohair quality. Efforts to improve mohair quality and enterprise financial returns need to focus on producing finer mohair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe and in the Mediterranean basin, goats and especially dairy goats have a peculiar importance and their production systems have been deeply changed during the last 50 years. Although the goats are generally seen as environmental friendly, the goat sector is more and more questioned by the general environmental challenges faced by agriculture and livestock Production. Agro – ecology is the general movement and approach to study the application of ecological principles to the design of sustainable agro – food systems. The several forms of agro – ecology and their application in animal production are reviewed; the concepts of ecological intensification and ecologically bio diversity based animal production are mobilized to introduce the possible types of changes implemented in a diversity of situations. The integration of goat activities in agro – food industry and the social role of goats by small holders in rural areas are the two main drivers to understand what forms of agro – ecology to implement for sustainable goat systems in Europe and in the Mediterranean. After having underlined the importance of agro – ecological transition as a complex process involving environmental, technical, social and societal changes, several methodological approaches based on real situations are proposed to address this transition for goats. The conclusions of this survey insist on the importance of the participatory approach to build collectively solutions adapted to each situation. Consequently, agro – ecology could be a good driver to impulse new dynamics in the goat sectors and especially in Europe and the Mediterranean area. Several pathways could be followed with a diversity of agro – ecological profiles to favor the sustainable development of goat systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goats play an important socio-economic role in many marginal rural areas of the world. Indigenous goat breeds have taken an important role in the livelihood strategies of impoverished farmers, especially those in harsh, remote areas. Those roles include their use as security and diversification of assets, social and cultural functions. They are also valued for their productive performance, adaptation and disease resistance. Turkey is one of the leading countries in the world for goat population and production. Hair, Kilis, Angora and Shami are the main goat breeds of the country. Hair goats are raised in many parts of the country but are concentrated particularly in the mountainous regions country, while the Angora breed is concentrated mainly in Central Anatolia. Kilis and Shami goats are known for their higher milk yield and litter size and are mainly focused in the south-east region of Turkey. Apart from these four breeds, the minor breeds such as Honamlı are located in the Bolkar Mountains in the Mediterranean region (specifically Antalya, Isparta and Konya) and the Norduz breed in Van province. A limited number of dairy goats such as Maltız, Saanen and their crossbreds are located in the Aegean and Marmara regions of Turkey. The population of goats in Turkey is about 11 million head. Hair goats make up approximately 10 million of the total number and the rest make up the balance. There are many reasons for goat production in Turkey, including the country’s geography and ecological condition, as well as the socio-economic situation of the rural communities. Goats have been raised in the Anatolian Plateau for many centuries providing dairy, meat, hide and hair to the inhabitants. It is the main source of animal protein for the rural masses in the mountainous regions of the country and less so for the urban population. Goats provide approximately 3% of the total red meat, 2.5% of the total milk and 18.5% of the total hide production for Turkey. They are also the only source of mohair and animal hair production in the country. Although their number and economic significance has decreased over the years, goat breeding still plays and important socio-economic role for the people living in remote areas of Turkey. Investments in intensive goat enterprises have increased significantly in the last few decades in Turkey although marketing margins across the value chain between producers, middlemen, processors, and consumers unjustifiably irregular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study focused on geographical relationships and cultural practices between goats and their predators in the Colliguaycito ravine is presented. This geographical unit belongs to the town of Monte Patria, province of Limari, Region of Coquimbo (Chile). The objective of the study is to know and understand which animals are harmful to goats and how geography affects the distribution of animals that attack herds. The hypothesis is to verify if there is a geographical relationship between the stationary grazing of goats and the attack of wild fauna in the Colliguaycito ravine. The study area was delimited with the help of the computer program Google Earth 2016. The methods used were: bibliographical analysis and in-depth interviews with some goat-keepers in the area. Geographic points where predators were spotted were evaluated, drawing up a scheme of transhumance periods and the cultural practices used by goats to keep predators away. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of low dose, prophylactic antibiotics contributes to the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. In one study, goat meat in Missouri was found to have a higher percentage of antibiotic residues at slaughter than the national average, so we attempted to identify factors related to goat production that may contribute to this issue. Using the knowledge, attitude, and behavior (KAB) model, we interviewed 11 Missouri goat farmers about factors affecting antibiotic use. Most of the farmers did not have specific protocols for managing illnesses and only relied on veterinarians for major health issues. Many felt veterinarians lacked knowledge about goat medicine so instead relied on other farmers’ or their own experiences for treatment modalities. While most agreed that antibiotic resistance was a concern, only 4 of the 11 indicated that they only used antibiotics when prescribed by the veterinarian. Veterinarians should be relied on and valued for their medical expertise, but they are not always being utilized in this manner. Therefore, veterinary education should emphasize goat health management to a greater extent than it currently does, and soft skills to build collaborative relationships with farmers should be taught to promote preventative health measures and more judicious use of antibiotics.

The study objectives were to gather feedback and opinions of goat farmers on the Forest and Nature Conservation Rule on goat rearing in Bhutan and identify field constraints arising from the conservation rule. Focus group and individual farmer survey methods were employed, and a semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview 180 goat farmers of six districts. All respondents were aware of the conservation rule. Majority of respondents knew goats as a threat to forest and crops. The vast majority of respondents felt that the conservation rule is not relevant in modern times, and all respondents felt the need to revise the rule. The main problem faced by farmers was difficulty in maintaining their goat numbers to four. The other problems faced were frequent conflicts with Forest personnel and restricted opportunities to earn more income. While the expected changes in the conservation rule included provisions to allow a farmer to rear more number of goats under stall-fed conditions, the additional rule suggested by farmers was allowing goats to browse freely in the forest. Majority of farmers reared goats under stall-fed conditions. The most common practice of managing goat populations was selling goats to fellow farmers. Despite the constraints, a majority of farmers expressed their willingness to continue goat rearing in the future, mainly to generate more income. The study findings suggest revision of the rule on goat rearing, with strong consideration of the needs of the modern farming system and growing economic demands. In revising the rule, the study recommends balanced representation from stakeholders and technical experts from both forest and livestock disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A software application (virtual guide), called CAPRIDROID, was designed for goat farming, aimed at farmers, extension workers and other people that are related to this activity and have access to cell phones with Android system version 2.3.3 and higher. The software application was developed under General Public License (GPL), and its size is 2 MB. The primary language of the application developed and compiled is Java 7.0. This computer tool in the form of interactive book offers updated information about goat farming systems under sustainable conditions, and in it the good practices concerning feeding, reproduction, health, breeding, among others, are detailed. Among the advantages of this software application it can be stated that it includes pictures, figures and tables; on the other hand, given the flexibility of its design, it can be updated and new options can be included according to the user's interests. It is concluded that this computer product contains valuable information for farmers allowing to improve decision making in the management of goat herds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The livestock sector serves as a foremost source of revenue for rural people, particularly in many developing countries. Among the livestock species, sheep and goats are the main source of livelihood for rural people in Ethiopia; they can quickly multiply, resilient and are easily convertible to cash to meet financial needs of the rural producers. The multiple contributions of sheep and goat and other livestock to rural farmers are however being challenged by climate change and variability. Farmers are responding to the impacts of climate change by adopting different mechanisms, where choices are largely dependent on many factors. This study, therefore, aims to analyze the determinants of choices of adaptation practices to climate change that causes scarcity of feed, heat stress, shortage of water and pasture on sheep and goat production. The study used 318 sample households drawn from potential livestock producing districts representing 3 agro-ecological settings. Data was analyzed using simple descriptive statistical tools, a multivariate probit model and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). Most of the respondents (98.6 %) noted that climate is changing. Respondents' perception is that climate change is expressed through increased temperature (88 %) and decline in rainfall (73 %) over the last 10 years. The most commonly used adaptation strategy was marketing during forage shock (96.5 %), followed by home feeding (89.6 %). The estimation from the multivariate probit model showed that access to information, farming experience, number of households in one village, distance to main market, income of household, and agro-ecological settings influenced farmers' adaptation choices to climate change. Furthermore, OLS revealed that the adaptation strategies had positive influence on the household income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dairy goat farming is an alternative livelihood activity for small-holder farmers who lived at the mountain area. The farmers' group approach through the setting of some behavioral intervention is an effective strategy to empower the small-holder farmers in creating sustainable farming system. The study was aimed to analyze some motives as components of sustainable farming motivation encouraging the farmers to raise dairy goats at the slope area of Merapi volcano and to analyze the relationship between individual group member's perceptions about cohesion with dairy goat farmers group and sustainable farming motivation. All the members of the dairy goat farmers group, at Turgo Sub-village participated in the research. Data were collected by interviewing the farmers using a questionnaire which already tested its validity and reliability. The descriptive analysis was made and data were analyzed by using Rank-spearman correlation. Most of the farmers (83.3%) had high category levels of sustainable dairy goat farming motivation. The social motives were at the highest level (73.3%) for farmers in exerting dairy goat farming at the slope area of Merapi volcano, followed by environmental motives (66.7%) and economic motives (63.3%). The group members' perception of cohesion, including sense of belonging and feeling of morale, to the group (73.3%) was also in high category level. There was a positively significant relationship (P<0.010) between perceived cohesion and farmers' motivation for sustainable dairy goat farming. In conclusion, there were same behavioral types based on the farmers' motivation for being in sustainable dairy goat farming. Higher the individuals' perception of their own cohesion to the dairy goat farmers group, motivation for being in sustainable dairy goat farming was also higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate the productive performance of local goat breeds under different production systems and conditions of water availability in the Karak Governorate of Jordan. Data collection methods comprised a survey applied to 120 purposively selected goat keepers (59 in mountain zone, MZ and 61 in semi-desert zone, SDZ), group discussions, on-farm measurement of body weight (BW) and evaluation of body condition score (BCS) of goats. Goat keepers perceived Mountain Black (MB) and Dhaiwi (DW) goats to have higher water tolerance than Damascus goats and their crosses (CB). BW of adult does was significantly affected by age (P<0.001), interaction between system and breed (P<0.05) and between age and breed (P<0.01). BCS of adult does was significantly affected by age (P<0.01), breed (P<0.01) and season (P<0.01). BW of growing kids was significantly affected by age (P<0.001), breed (P<0.01), sex (P<0.05), feeding intensity (P<0.01) and interaction between age and sex (P<0.001). In contrast, only the age (P<0.001) of growing kids and watering frequency (P<0.05) significantly affected their BCS. CB does had higher BW and BCS than MB does whereas CB growing kids had lower BW than MB growing kids. The BW of CB for adult does in transhumant system was higher than BW of MB. BCS of adult does was significantly higher during the mid of dry season compared to that during end of dry season. The BCS of growing kids was higher at farms where goats drank once or twice a day than where goats were watered three times or had free water access. It could be concluded that water availability did not limit the body weight development of neither of the breed groups. Further investigations on the direct effects of water deficiency on performance of goat breeds under more extensive production system are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An attempt was made to document various constraints faced by Ahir community goat keepers by selecting 300 goat keepers from Valsad and Navsari districts of south Gujarat using multistage random sampling technique. The data was collected by interview schedule on five point agreement scale. The analyzed data revealed nine management related, ten socio-economic and five region specific constraints. Among them high feed cost and more illness and mortality emerged as the most important management related constraints. Lack of credit facility and high wage rate emerged as top socio-economic constraints. The region specific constraints identified were heavy rainfall condition and floods/natural disasters. It was suggested that the above said most important constraints must be considered for developing remedial package for profitable goat farming in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ex-post-facto study was conducted to assess the information needs of goat rearing farmers as perceived by them, with a sample size of 160 respondents in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. Information needs were assessed in total 34 aspects of goat rearing practices; five each from health care and marketing-finance and eight each from breeding, feeding and housing-management. The investigation revealed that goat health care was the first area for information need as perceived by the farmers followed by marketing-finance, feeding, housing-management and breeding. Among specific sub areas; information regarding 'common goat diseases with their preventive measures', 'vaccination', 'local market', 'banking finance for goat farm', 'preparation of economic and balanced ration', 'care of does' and 'breed selection' were perceived with higher intensity of need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas can be a clean cooking alternative where biomass is the dominant source of cooking energy and where feedstock for anaerobic digestion is available. By substituting woody biomass for energy, biogas may reduce local deforestation. Tanzania has more than 15.6 million goats. Dairy goats of different breeds are found in the mid- to high altitudes of the country. Population density has made firewood increasingly scarce and there are few energy alternatives in mountainous areas such as in the Uluguru Mountains. In Mgeta ward, Morogoro region, introduction of Norwegian dairy goats in the 1980s has improved livelihoods in the area. In this study, goat manure was assessed as feedstock for biogas and as fertilizer. Field work among small-holder dairy goat farmers in Mgeta was conducted to measure daily manure production, and to provide a basic model for prediction of the quantity of droppings which may be collected by farmers. Biogas and fertilizer potential from goat manure was compared to cow and pig manure. Buswell's formula was used to calculate approximate methane yield. The results show that goat manure from Mgeta can yield 167 l ⋅ kg Volatile Solids-1 (VS). Compared with other substrates approximate methane yield can be ranked as pig > guatemala grass > cow > goat. The average goat of 25 kg in Mgeta leaves 61 kg Total Solids (TS) droppings per year. It was estimated that 15 goats ⋅ capita-1 would be required to meet the total cooking energy needs of small-holder households in the study location. N:P:K content in goat manure (TS) is 2:1:1, similar to cow and pig manure. Goat droppings had to be macerated to reduce particle size for anaerobic digestion. Biogas from dairy goats could be combined with the year-round irrigated horticulture production in Mgeta. Vegetable gardens in the slope below the digesters could be fertilized by gravitation with the NH4+-rich bioslurry, to save labour and increase yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the period of January-May, 2015, the goat production systems were characterized in all the municipalities of the Ciego de Ávila province. Two hundred and fifteen goat raisers, private as well as state ones, were visited and semi-structured surveys were applied, at farm level and in their respective productive bases. The total animals of the surveyed raisers was 25 735, which is equivalent to 86% of the stock in the province. The Baraguá municipality stood out as the one with the highest quantity of heads (8 206), followed by the Majagua municipality (5 233 animals), which have 44,9% of the total stock of the province. The average age of the raisers was lower than 60 years in more than 90% of the respondents, and the high school or technical level prevailed, which is adequate if the training process about the goat species should be assimilated. In general, the crossbred or creole genotypes prevailed, although the Nubia breed prevailed in Baraguá and the Alpine crossbreed, introduced in previous years, predominated in the Primero de Enero and Majagua municipalities. The weight at slaughter was optimum in Baraguá, Florencia, Majagua and Venezuela (22-25 kg for six-month-old bucks), and the worst situation was observed in Morón with a much lower weight. The characterization made allowed to identify the insufficient attention received by the farmers linked to goat raising, extensive grazing systems on natural covers and little use of other alternative feeding sources, the technical-constructive deficiencies of the facilities, the parasite control, the scarce treatment of wastes before being used, and the limited technical orientation and training provided by the responsible entities of the territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to know how the goat producer perceives the public institutions linked to rural development processes of arid of La Asunción, Lavalle Department, Mendoza Northeast, Argentina. For this, a descriptive - exploratory study of cross cutting was developed, through a survey of 29 producers of a total of 40 residents. The public entities analyzed were: Dirección de Ganadería, CONICET, INTA Lavalle, Lavalle Municipality, Secretaría de Agricultura Familiar and Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. The survey results showed the INTA Lavalle as the best known entity in the area (92.9% of the producers), followed by the Municipality and the Secretariat with 75.86%. As for the institutional participation in specific goat production advice, the Dirección de Ganadería is that of higher participation with talks and specific meetings in the goat theme, covering the 38.52% of participation, followed by the Secretariat (21.26% ), and Lavalle Municipality (16.09%) and being the most appropriate themes feeding (25,29%) and facilities (16.67%). As for the institution acceptance, the Municipality showed the highest producers accordance with 48.28%, being the foundation, the subsidy provisions and tools without refund, added to that the institution is in constant contact with the population and in many cases, producer relatives works in it. It is stresses that 10.34% of the producers showed dissatisfaction with all. In the case of Dirección de Ganadería , the acceptance was only 3.45%, being the producers justification that is an organism that requires the loans refund, which does not provide subsidies, controls the animals moving, requires own register of marks and signals, is responsible for mandatory vaccinations, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the threat of anthelmintic resistance, livestock farmers worldwide are encouraged to selectively apply treatments against gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs). Targeted selective treatment (TST) of individual animals would be especially useful for smallholder farmers in low-income economies, where cost-effective and sustainable intervention strategies will improve livestock productivity and food security. Supporting research has focused mainly on refining technical indicators for treatment, and much less on factors influencing uptake and effectiveness. We used a mixed method approach, whereby qualitative and quantitative approaches are combined, to develop, implement and validate a TST system for GINs in small ruminants, most commonly goats, among smallholder farmers in the Makgadikgadi Pans region of Botswana, and to seek better understanding of system performance within a cultural context. After the first six months of the study, 42 out of 47 enrolled farmers were followed up; 52% had monitored their animals using the taught inspection criteria and 26% applied TST during this phase. Uptake level showed little correlation with farmer characteristics, such as literacy and size of farm. Herd health significantly improved in those herds where anthelmintic treatment was applied: anaemia, as assessed using the five-point FAMACHA © scale, was 0.44–0.69 points better (95% confidence interval) and body condition score was 0.18–0.36 points better (95% C.I., five-point scale) in treated compared with untreated herds. Only targeting individuals in greatest need led to similar health improvements compared to treating the entire herd, leading to dose savings ranging from 36% to 97%. This study demonstrates that TST against nematodes can be implemented effectively by resource-poor farmers using a community-led approach. The use of mixed methods provides a promising system to integrate technical and social aspects of TST programmes for maximum uptake and effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feed restriction, and seasonal weight loss (SWL), are major setbacks for animal production in the tropics and the Mediterranean. They may be solved through the use of autochthonous breeds particularly well adapted to SWL. It is therefore of major importance to determine markers of tolerance to feed restriction of putative use in animal selection. Two indigenous breeds from the Canary Islands, Palmera and Majorera, are commonly used by dairy goat farmers and, interestingly, have different phenotype characteristics albeit with a common ancestry. Indeed, Majorera is well adapted to feed restriction whereas the Palmera is susceptible to feed restriction. In addition, regardless of their importance in dairy production, there are only a limited number of reports relating to these breeds and, to the best of our knowledge, there is no description of their blood metabolite standard values under control conditions or as affected by feed restriction. In this study we analysed the blood metabolite profiles in Majorera and Palmera goats aiming to establish the differential responses to feed restriction between the two breeds and to characterise their metabolite standard values under control conditions. We observed significant differences in creatinine, urea, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), cholesterol, IGF-1 and T3 due to underfeeding. Furthermore, a PCA analysis, revealed that animals submitted to undernutrition could be distinguished from the control groups, with the formation of three separate clusters (Palmera individuals after 22 d of subnutrition (PE22); Majorera individuals after 22 d of subnutrition (ME22) and animals assigned to control conditions (MC0, MC22, PC0 and PC22)), highlighting different responses of the two breeds to undernutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study was conducted to know the status of specialized goat training of GADVASU. A total of 118 farmers from 3 training programmes were personally interviewed. There is significant (P<0.01) improvement in knowledge after attending goat training. 61.87% of farmers were beginners to this profession out of which 39.72% farmers adopted goat farming and 31.11% farmers expanded goat farming after training. Majority (90.68%) of the farmers reported monthly magazine of GADVASU as best media for their knowledge enhancement. Training programme has been found to be an excellent extension tool which suggests the increasing role of extension personnel in the rural upliftment programmes through goat husbandry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]