Profitability and contribution of small-scale dairy goat production to income of smallholder farmers in Babati and Kongwa districts, Tanzania

摘要

AstudywascarriedoutinBabatiandKongwadistrictsinTanzaniatoassesstheprofitabilityandcontributionofdairygoatenterprisestohouseholdincomeofsmall-scalefarmers.Ahouseholdsurveywasconductedtoatotalof40dairygoatfarmersand40non-dairygoatkeepersfromfourvillagesineachdistrict,makingasamplesizeof160households.Non-dairygoatfarmerswereincludedasacontrolgrouptoascertainthebenefitsofkeepingdairygoats.Informationonmaineconomicactivities,reasonsforkeepingdairygoats,inputcostsandrevenuesobtainedfromdairygoatproduction,livestockproduction(apartfromdairygoats),cropproductionandsmallbusinessenterpriseswerecollectedusingawellstructuredquestionnaire.Themajoreconomicactivitiesinthestudyareaswerebothcropandlivestockproduction.Dairygoatproductionwasrankedsecondtocropproduction.Themainreasonsforkeepingdairygoatsweremilkproductionforhomeconsumption,generationofincome,provisionofmanureandservingasaninsuranceagainstfutureuncertainties.AverageannualprofitofdairygoatenterpriseperhouseholdwashigherinBabatinbsp;thaninKongwa.Thedairygoatenterprisecontributed30.8and25.7%ofthetotalhouseholdincomeinBabatiandKongwadistricts,respectively.Theincomefromcrops,otherlivestockspeciesandpettybusinesseswerehigherfordairygoatfarmersthannon-dairygoatfarmersinbothdistricts.Theincomefromgoatenterprisewasusedtopayschoolfees,buyconsumergoods,buyfoodduringperiodoffoodshortageandpaymedicalbills.Thestudyrevealedthatdairygoatenterpriseisprofitableandsignificantlycontributestohouseholdincome.