Enhancing productivity and sustainability in small-scale cattle ranching: a case study of Selous Ranch

Abstract

This study sets out to build a practical framework for improving both the productivity and the long-term survival of small-scale cattle ranching at Selous Ranch in Zimbabwe. The study was motivated by the sector's continued poor performance. Even though cattle are very important for the rural community and for the country's economy, the sector is caught in a bad cycle. This cycle is one of low productivity and poor sustainability, and it is caused by many problems that are connected to each other. To get a deep understanding of these issues from the people who live with them, the study adopted a qualitative case study approach. Ten respondents were selected for their specific knowledge; these were farmers, veterinary officers, and agribusiness experts. Thus, data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations, and then I analyzed this data by looking for common themes. The researcher found out that there is a structural problem which we can call a "Productivity Paradox." This is a situation where a bad cycle of having low capital leads to farmers being unable to buy good inputs like proper feed, good genetics, and healthcare for the animals, which results in low outputs, such as low calving rates, slow growth of the animals, and the high mortality. The sustainability of the operations is being threatened by what we can call "Multidimensional Vulnerability," which is a situation where different problems like climatic shocks, common diseases, economic volatility, and weak connections to the market all come together and make each other worse. Furthermore, we can see that there is a big "Value Addition Chasm," meaning that the potential for making more money through processing the products is not being realized because of very big barriers in the areas of finance, infrastructure, and technical skills. The study concludes that just fixing one technical problem at a time is not enough. Therefore, it is proposing an "Integrated Resilience and Value Capture Model" to be used as a practical framework for intervention. This model calls for coordinated actions that involve many different stakeholders, and these actions should be across four main pillars: number one is enhancing the input systems and the resource base; number two is improving the on-farm and also the community management practices; number three is developing integrated value chain and market linkages; and number four is fostering a supportive enabling environment. The research is contributing a holistic, systems-based approach for reviving small-scale cattle ranching, and it is offering recommendations that can be acted upon for farmers, for policymakers, and for development partners so that they can break the cycle of poverty, they can build resilience in the system, and they can enable the capture of value locally for sustainable development.