MEASURING AND INTERPRETING THE BENEFITS OF GOAT KEEPING IN TROPICAL FARM SYSTEMS

The measurement of biological production in goat systems is discussed by reviewing existing indices for reproduction and pock productivity. On-station and on-farm data on goat production in Southwestern Nigeria are used as an illustration. It is demonstrated that the indices focu sing on weaning weights per individual doe or ewe are superior for mea suring the reproductive potential of meat breeds than indices based on averages of reproductive parameters. Overall flock productivity is be st assessed through indices relating total inflow and outflow to the w eighted average flock size. Improvements in reproduction and flock pro ductivity indices are proposed. The benefits of the goat system are in terpreted in two steps. Firstly, resources used and flock production a re compared to obtain the value added, which is the total return to th e land, labour and capital resources that the household uses in keepin g goals. From the Southwestern Nigeria data it is concluded that the a dded value from goat production is low compared with the added value f rom crop production. Secondly, it is postulated that when financial an d insurance markets are absent or ill-functioning, goat keeping provid es benefits in financing and in insurance. These benefits are estimate d; they appear to be a substantial proportion of the total income from goat keeping (defined as value added plus benefits in financing plus benefits in insurance). This broad perspective on income corresponds w ith the multiple objectives of goat keeping generally stated by farm h ouseholds. The trade-off between the objectives in production, financi ng and in insurance are discussed, and the implications for research a nd for improvement policies are presented. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science L td.