8 SOLID WAYS GOAT FARMING CAN LIFT YOU OUT OF POVERTY

Goat farming is capable of lifting you and your family out of poverty if done correctly.

 

The points outlined in this article will be of great help to you.

 

Over the years especially in developing countries, I have seen many families struggle to earn a living trying their hands on different ventures or businesses.

 

Especially livestock rearing some of them make substantial progress while most of them end up giving up or discouraged.

 

How I wish they will understand how lucrative and profitable goat farming could be.

 

And the simple truth is that goat farming can lift them out of poverty and improve their financial status significantly.

 

I remember vividly in those days while growing up, hearing people referring to goat as the “poor man’s cow”.

 

These are due to its numerous and outstanding qualities. Goat farming if done properly is an excellent source of income and livelihood for the family.

 

It is very suitable in areas where there is a shortage of land or space, they can be managed on a small piece of land.

 

You will watch them multiply considerably and subsequently lift you out of poverty. It may sound simple but that’s the gospel truth.

 

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The following ways will make you understand fully, how goat farming will lift you out of poverty. And change your story for the better especially in this our contemporary world:

 

1. Goats are Easy to Feed and Maintain, One Good Quality of Goats, and Why They Can Lift You Out of Poverty.

One of the reasons you keep or rear animals is to make profits and to provide additional sources of income to your family.

 

Feed constitutes more than 60% of the overhead cost of keeping animals, especially if you want to make any headway.

 

You need to supply your animals with the essential nutrient and vitamins they need to grow and stay healthy.

 

Unlike poultry that requires specially formulated feed for them to thrive and do very well.

 

Goats, on the other hand, can still survive on less quality feed such as maize brand, wheat offal, by-product of harvested crops, etc.

 

You can also provide them with dry hay, they do very well on it too. You can cut costs significantly when you farm leguminous crops such as groundnut or beans.

 

The dry hay you get from such crops can help you significantly in reducing the cost of feeding your goats.

 

One of the ways you can also cut costs and make significant profits is to buy and store their feed (goat) when they are cheap especially immediately after harvest.

 

That is exactly what I did and it has helped considerably in reducing the cost of production.

 

Goats have their own formulated feeds with enough nutrients and vitamins too.

 

But one important advantage they have over other livestock is that when you are broke you can allow them to browse or graze around.

 

They are also very good scavengers, they are also very good at picking their food around the compound, surroundings, and the neighborhoods.

 

You can also supplement their feed, once in a while with good quality formulated feed if you have the financial capacity to do so.

 

The cost of feeding goats can never be compared to larger animals like cows they eat less feed compared to cows or other ruminants.

 

Goats will consume feed less than 8 times compared to feed consumed by a cow, making them less expensive to feed and maintain.

 

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2. Goats are Prolific Animals, You Can’t Take This Good Quality From Them.

When you talk of acquiring wealth, multiplication is synonymous with the overall success of any business venture.

 

So when we talk of goat farming lifting you out of poverty. It means they have to be in substantial numbers before you will see any meaningful impact on your financial status.

 

With 2-3 female goats (does) and one male goat (buck) within the shortest possible time, you will be having herds of goats, running into 10’s and 100’s if not even more.

 

A female goat can give birth to 2 to 3 goats in some cases up to four at a time. With proper care and feeding, i.e. goats don’ts like wets, marshy, or been exposed to wet weather, they prefer it when it is dry.

 

It allows them to thrive and multiply rapidly. Sometimes ago I visited a friend who recently imported some goats from the Niger Republic into Nigeria.

 

Precisely to the middle belts of Nigeria, not considering the facts that in Niger republic, it is much dryer compared to their new environment here in Nigeria.

 

Where we have more rainfall and the wet seasons are more. The Niger Republic, on the other hand, is a subtropical climate mainly very hot and very dry, with much desert area.

 

Unfortunately for him, he exposes them to rainfall without adequate provision for shelter.

 

And due to their exposure to different weather conditions, they started having health complications and were dying.

 

Thank God he realize it in time and we were able to curtail the situation and restore them to health.

 

Study the weather condition of your region before importing or introducing any goat breed into your farm.

 

These will help them to adapt easily, and allow them also to increase and flourish.

 

3. No cultural Taboo Attached to Goat Farming

Religion and tradition are dear to the heart of most Africans, Asia and most of the world.

 

Because of this nobody, will want to go into a business that has no customers for its products.

 

Goat meat is widely accepted across the world, no cultural taboo is attached to its meat.

 

Unlike other animals that have cultural taboos or restrictions attached to their consumption.

 

Animals such as bats, cats, pigs, etc. Pig meats are particularly frowned at especially in the Middle East, North Africa, Northern Nigeria, the list goes on and on.

 

Places such as northern Nigerians may even stone or kill animals such as pigs if they are found roaming the streets freely. Especially by those who consider them offensive to their religious beliefs.

 

Over 60% of the world’s population eat goat meat. It is highly nutritious and low in cholesterol compared to other ruminants which make goat meat healthier for consumption.

 

As a result, this makes the markets for goat meat readily available the world.

 

Therefore goat farming can lift any struggling farmer who ventures into goat farming out of poverty.

 

READ: Why I Love Farming, The Inherent Benefit

 

4. Why Goat Farming Can Lift you Out of Poverty Because it Has Multiple Uses.

• Apart from raising meat for the family, and supplying them with healthy nutritious meat, rich in protein with less cholesterol and leaner than most red meat such as cow meat.

 

• Goats will always provide the family with ample opportunity to always cater to their immediate needs. At the same time take care of some pressing needs such as paying children school fees.

 

• Feeding the family from the proceeds obtained from the sales of goats especially when you are keeping them for commercial purposes. From personal experience, I sold four of my goats to fix my almost abandoned car.

 

• Apart from meat production, goat farming can be an important form of investment.

 

• Goats are a very good source of milk, yogurt, and cheese, which can provide alternative sources of income for the family. Even provide a source of livelihood for many families.

 

• At the same time provide daily meals on the table for everyone. Goat milk is very nutritious and healthy than most farm animals. If we can tap into this lucrative aspect of production, I bet you many families will be lifted out of poverty if only they will take the rearing or business of goat farming seriously.

 

• Goat’s skin is very strong in terms of tensile strength and has multiple uses. Which can be transformed into making gloves, bags, shoes, and even book cover that looks appealing to the eye, and will stand the test of time.

 

5. Goats are Hardy and Easy to Handle

Unlike other livestock such as poultry that requires meticulous planning in terms of their vaccination, feed formulation, and drug usage.

 

If you make any careless mistake you will watch them die one after the other. And when they die, they usually die in large numbers, especially in cases of viral infection.

 

Goats thrive and do well on even less quality feed than poultry just make sure the feed you supply them is good and recommended for goat feeding.

 

As mentioned earlier they are good grazers and browsers they can feed on open fields thereby reducing the cost of production and maximizing profits.

 

A few days ago I was watching with keen interest and amazement. As my little daughter of four years was tending, feeding, and caring for our goats at the farm it was a beauty to behold.

 

Unlike other larger ruminants like a cow that requires a lot of strength and energy to attend to. And could be dangerous especially around children and even adults alike.

 

Goats can easily be tame as pets handled by anybody who wants to take care of them and has a passion for them.

6. Goats are Cheap to Acquire

Compared to other larger ruminants such as cows. Cow in most parts of the world is quite expensive to buy or maintain especially in Africa where cow rearing is associated with affluence and wealth.

 

An average cow of about 150 to 200kg will normally consume almost ten times the food an average goats of 25 to 35 kg will consume.

 

This makes the rearing and maintenance of cows very expensive compared to goats that consume less food.

 

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7. They Can Manage Small Land

One very interesting advantage of goat farming and its ability to lift you out of poverty is the fact that they utilize small space.

 

As a landless person, you can begin goat farming, just at the backyard of your house.

 

You can also talk to friends and family to help you rear some too, this depends on mutual trust between the two parties involved.

 

Just like me, at the moment I have some goats belonging to my elder brother, which I’m helping him to rear before he acquires his land. With time you can acquire your land and expand your enterprise.

 

It is very possible to start goat farming small and tap into the power of visualization. You can grow and multiple (Goats) and even graduate to cattle farming or even keep them side by side.

 

8. Goats Cohabits With Other Ruminants

Another very important advantage of goats is that they can cohabit successfully with other ruminants and are very much suited for production with other animals.

 

You can keep sheep, goats, and cattle together and raise them without experiencing any major crises or conflicts, they adapt easily to each other. 

 

Unlike other livestock such as poultry, you cannot combine for instance say chicken with duck or goose in one place that will be, of course, a recipe for failure.

 

Conclusion

Goats are capable of multiplying within a short period, with less feed input, which is a major cost of production.

 

Goats can fend for themselves when allowed to browse or graze. Thereby relieving the goat farmer of a large chunk of the financial burden. And still, yet lift him out of poverty by improving his financial status.

 

As long as he will always take good care of them and provide them with basic needs.