Informatics Publishing Limited

Abstract

The study’s main aim was to evaluate the impact of gender household targeted training (added to technical skills acquired) on decision making and planning on food and income security. Determining the level of women participation in household decision making and planning on income level and assets accrued from sales of cowpeas produce and appraising training impact were the guiding objectives. The T-Test analysis results showed a significance difference of 1between trained and untrained women’s level of  participation in household decision making and planning with (0.015 p value), income realised from cowpea produce (0.041 p value), ownership of productive assets (0.017 p value and food security (0.039 p value). The significant differences in favour of the treatment (trained) group signified the positive impact of targeted couple trainings. Thus, training proved to have promoted women participation in economic household decision making processes with their improved self-confidence, signifying significances of targeted training. Trainings also improved coordination between spouses in areas of input acquisition, planning, decision making as well as marketing and accountability over use of proceeds. The implication of these results was that development partners and extension agents should add couple/ household targeted gender and agricultural trainings to tackle gender challenges that retard commercialization of cowpeas production and other potential crops labeled ‘women’s crops’.

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Abstract

The study sought to establish and analyze the challenges and opportunities on beef cattle marketing and off take rates of Zimbabwe’s A1 resettlement farmers, particularly focusing on those resettled in marginalized regions of the country. The main objective was unveiling practical and feasible strategies for improving beef cattle production and marketing viability in the country’s disadvantaged communities. To achieve this, a descriptive study design was used while random stratified sampling procedure was employed to select a sample of 90 farmers specializing in beef cattle production in the district. Thirty farmers were randomly picked in each of the selected three villages. Questionnaires were used to solicit for primary data from the respondents. Secondary data from government departments and other stakeholders was obtained through interviews. The generated primary and secondary data sets were analyzed qualitatively to ascertain challenges and opportunities associated with Zimbabwe’s smallholder beef industry, with particular emphasis on the resettled small-scale farmers. It was established that beef cattle off take rates were generally low in resettlement areas of Zimbabwe, standing at 3, 3% compared to the national target of 15%. The irrefutable findings of the study revealed that lack of proper beef management and marketing skills, economically viable herd sizes and poor access to rewarding markets are the major challenges constraining beef production in Zimbabwe’s resettlement areas. The study, therefore, recommended that government and other stakeholders should provide adequate technical and institutional support to effect robust positive developments on the country’s smallholder beef production, to recover the lost past glories of the lucrative industry. 

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