Smallholder
livestock
value
chain
in
Botswana
S.Bahta
and
D.Baker,
Interna0onal
Livestock
research
ins0tute.
Back ground
Livestock
sector
in
Botswana
is
usually
subdivided
into
commercial
(generally,
fenced
grazing
areas)
and
tradi0onal
(generally,
communally
grazed
areas
focused
on
borehole-­‐centred
caCle
posts)
farming.
The
smallholder
farming
system
primarily
involves
caCle
and
small
stock.
Goat
rearing
is
thought
to
be
the
second
largest
livestock
ac0vity
among
smallholder
farmers
aGer
caCle,
with
most
goats
bred
by
smallholder
farmers.
However,
• Current
demarca0ons
are
somewhat
arbitrary
and
intermediate
structures
(e.g.
small,
fenced
grazing
units)
are
readily
observed.
• LiCle
has
been
done
to
characterize
these
systems
so
as
to
iden0fy
the
opportuni0es
for,
and
constraints
to,
improvement
of
produc0on
and
marke0ng.
A
snap
shot
survey,
to
study
and
characterize,
using
rapid
appraisal,
the
value
chain
actors’
knowledge,
prac0ces,
structure
and
performance,
was
then
conducted
Botswana’s
Central
District.
The
pilot
survey
method
included
farmer
focus
group
discussions
and
individual
interviews
of
farmers,
butcheries,
supermarkets
and
consumers
and
further
discussion
of
the
results
with
livestock
value
chain
stakeholders.
Livestock Producers
BMC/Abattoirs
Local
cooperation
Individual
farmers
Government
programs
Speculators/
Agents
Feedlots
Butcheries
Input suppliers
Supermarkets
Consumers domestic
market Consumers
externalmarket
Provision ofinputs such
as feed and drugs
Indicates the direct sale oflivestock to
consumers and consumers obligatory
to killthe cattle in slaughter houses
Two way supply/demand oflivestock
Export ofhigh quality meat to
foreign markets
.
..
Major market channels for cattle
Major market channels for smallstock
Value chain map and market channels
The
main
reported
market
channels
for
selling
caCle
in
the
Central
District
are
BMC
and
butcheries,
with
few
sales
to
individuals.
For
sheep
and
goats,
the
main
channels
were
sales
to
individuals,
followed
by
butcheries.
Channel choice
Factors
affec0ng
channel
choice
include:
• Delay
in
securing
sales
permits,
a
prerequisite
for
caCle
sales,
due
to
non-­‐availability
of
veterinary
services’
staff
and/
or
technical
difficul0es
with
the
bolus
or
bolus
readers.
• Preferences
for
keeping
caCle
into
advanced
age,
at
which
point
BMC
requires
delivery
to
collec0on
points
rather
than
purchasing
at
the
farm
gate
.
• A
reported
lack
of
understanding
of
BMC’s
quality
requirements.
• Prices
• Government
purchase
programs
provide
the
fixed,
and
in
some
cases
the
best,
prices
for
small
stock
–
500
Pula
for
a
goat
compared
to
400-­‐700
from
a
butchery.
Livestock revenues and expenditures
• Traders
and
feedlot
owners
are
reported
to
offer
low
prices
• Butcheries
offer
immediate
cash
payment
at
reasonable
prices
(around
3,000
Pula
per
head
for
caCle)
generally
irrespec0ve
of
age,
while
BMC’s
process
for
older
caCle
are
about
the
same
but
paid
aGer
a
2-­‐week
delay.
• Few
producers
and
traders
use
scales,
but
slaughter
values
centre
on
weight.
Producers
are
less
informed
on
weight
than
are
most
buyers.
Enterprise
budget
analysis
shows
that
livestock
sales
revenue
and
total
variable
costs
generally
increases
with
herd
size,
but
this
is
not
consistent
across
all
size
classes.
Gross
margin
also
generally
varies
posi0vely
with
livestock
herd
size,
but
there
is
much
varia0on
around
the
trend.
Excep0ons
are
herd
size
51-­‐100
and
100-­‐200
TLU.
Notably,
gross
margins
are
nega0ve
for
surveyed
farmers
owning
less
than
20
TLU.
Domestic meat retailing and demand
The
majority
of
the
respondents
reported
buying
beef
(62%),
goat
(63%)
and
sheep
meat
(75%)
from
butcheries,
rather
than
other
types
of
outlets.
Retailer
respondents
were
asked
about
the
aCributes
consumers
prefer
when
buying
meat
and
notable
results
are
that
the
level
of
service
is
perceived
as
important.
High
standards
for
freshness,
cleanness
of
premises
and
of
the
meat
vendors
appear
to
outweigh
price
and
the
marbling
of
meat.
Goat
and
sheep
meat
consumers
have
less
strong
views
about
product
quality.
Most
popular
cuts
of
meat
were
reported
by
retailers
to
be
whole
carcasses
or
part
carcasses,
deboned
beef
and
cuts,
and
deboned
goats/sheep
meat
and
cuts.
.
• Producers’
demand
for
more
support
and
informa0on
about
value
addi0on
and
innova0on
clearly
outweighs
supply
within
the
livestock
value
chains.
• Technical
delays
in
Sales
and
licensing
procedures
are
posing
a
significant
challenge
for
Central
District
farmers
• More
research
about
the
retail
market
is
necessary,
par0cularly
concerning
value
aCached
to
aCributes
at
different
points
in
the
value
chain.
Conclusion
Livestock
and
Fish
agrifood
chain
toolkit
conference
Kampala
9-­‐11
September,
2013