Abstract

The study determined differences between village-owned and group-owned cattle enterprises on monetary value, Nguni cattle functions, marketing options, perceptions and concerns of Nguni cattle farmers. Questionnaires were administered to 22 village-owned and 19 group-owned enterprises. The χ²-tests were computed to determine associations between enterprise type, farmer characteristics, functions of cattle, marketing options, farmer perceptions and concerns on the cattle. Effects of enterprise ownership and farmer characteristics on the perceived monetary value of Nguni cattle were determined using ANOVA. Nguni cattle in both enterprise ownership patterns were used for cash, meat and upgrading the communal cattle. Farmers from village-owned enterprises had higher perceived prices than group-owned enterprises. Younger farmers with a formal training in agriculture perceived higher prices of bullocks and in-calf heifers. Most farmers (67%) perceived Nguni cattle low-input production as profitable with higher perceived prices for cattle in village-owned than group-owned enterprises. Community gatherings were the most common method of marketing Nguni cattle. The major concerns in village-owned enterprises were uncontrolled mating, lack of grazing land and husbandry equipment. It was concluded that while village-owned and group-owned enterprises had similar demographic profiles, cattle functions, and marketing options.

Key words: Farmer characteristics, Nguni cattle functions, marketing, concerns, enterprise ownership