Dr. Roseline, N. Nwambe
Department of Agricultural Education,
Ebonyi State College of Education, Ikwo.
Abstract.
The study focused on the identification of the challenges and profitability of goat production in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The major research objectives are to identify the challenges confronting goat farmers and to determine the profitability or otherwise of goat production in the study area. Due to the relative large
population, purposive sampling technique was used to select 390 goat farmers rearing a minimum of 5 goats in each local government area in Ebonyi State. Structured questionnaire was used to solicit information from the farmers. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data collected. The result of the study revealed that goat production was a viable business with a good net farm income. The farmers, however, indicated that they are confronted by the following challenges: diseases and pests outbreak, lack of processed feed, poor veterinary services, high cost of transportation, laborious nature of goat farming among many other challenges. Hypothesis 1 and 2 tested was not accepted, indicating that the challenges encountered by the farmers and the management systems adopted affect the profitability of goat farming. It is therefore recommended that the unemployed youths and adults can engaged in goat production as a profitable business. The government and relevant research institutes should, as a matter of urgency, implement farmers’ views and perceptions into research and government policies for the development and growth of goat production. Government should provide loan facilities as an incentives to farmers to increase production.
Keywords: Goat Production, Challenges and Profitability.
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