Factors affecting the livestock herd size among smallholder households in Zambia

Structural changes in the economic and demographic landscapes in the developing countries create a host of opportunities for smallholder livestock producers to tap into the economic growth from which they have largely been excluded. However, small livestock herd sizes limit the opportunities available to farmers to commercialize and benefit from the growing demand for livestock and livestock products. Therefore, understanding what it takes to build and maintain the herd size is a critical step in addressing the problem of low market participation. The study used five cross-sectional nationally representative data sets to arrive at the following conclusions. While purchases are a primary source for the initial stock, births are the principal way of increasing the herd size. Livestock deaths as reflected by high mortality rates are the major outflow channel through which livestock leaves the herd, and reducing the mortality rates has a positive effect on the livestock population as evidenced within the cattle sub-sector. Thus, provision of adequate animal health services is key to addressing the high mortality rates which subsequently can lead to increased herd size. As births are the primary means of increasing the herd size, it is necessary to implement interventions that address the reproduction rates. The interventions include adequate feeding of livestock on high-quality feed and strategic feeding to address the dry season challenges. These interventions can facilitate the growth of the young livestock into mature breeding stock and thus increase the herd size.