Beef cattle production and management
Practical Action
How to use the training manual
This training manual is for use during both training sessions and community meetings. The
manual also provides a simple, easy to follow step-by step procedure to plan, conduct and analyis
beef cattle production and management techniques with communities and also to design
effective training sessions. The manual is illustrated with experiences gained from various beef
cattle production efforts at grassroots level in Zimbabwe, and other African countries, such as
Kenya.
The training manual is only a guide, and staff who use it should see it as an inspiration to switch
on their own creativity to develop and experiment with new and appropriate approaches for more
fruitful participatory interactions with the various communities with whom they work with.
And, the exercises and activities in the manual are not arranged in any sequence and they are
adaptable to various situations in Mbire District. It may not be necessary to read the book from
cover to cover, but it can be used as a guideline for specific activities.
Suggestions for using this manual
Beef Cattle Production and Management Training is normally conducted by a team of facilitators
made up of subject matter specialists, extension staff and field workers, among other
professionals. Development workers and extension staff who participate in provincial and district
training teams can use this manual in two major ways. First, as a source as they conduct their
trainings in the field, and second, as a training guide as they prepare others to plan and conduct
beef cattle production and management training sessions. For those who have not been trained in
participatory methodologies, it is advisable to arrange a brief orientation workshop in which
principles and procedures in the manual can be learnt and practiced before applying them with a
community group.
Introduction
More than two thirds of Zimbabwe's total area of 389 000 m2 lie in semi-arid regions known as
Natural Regions Three, Four and Five. These agro - ecological zones lie below 900m above sea
level, and usually receive less than 600mm of rainfall per year. The main agricultural activity
suited for these regions is livestock production. Crop production is too risky except for drought
resistant small grains, cotton and guar beans.
More than 80% of the 5000 rural households in Mbire District of the northern Zambezi Valley
own cattle, goats and indigenous poultry from which they derive the following commodities:
1. Meat
2. Milk
3. Hides and Skins
4. Manure
5. Draught power
6. Transport
7. Income
8. Socio - cultural aspects
Mbire District lies in agro-ecological Natural Region Four and receives less than 500mm of
rainfall per annum and high temperatures of between 20 - 40 DC. Soils in Mbire are relatively
unbleached, of high base status and have a moderate to high clay content. These soils have
a very high agricultural potential but the main limitation is the aridity of the environment they
occur. The district's semi - arid environment supports extensive woodlands of Cotophospernum
Mopane (mopane)whose leaves have high protein content and high nutritive value for cattle and
wildlife. The grasses that thrive in this area are highly palatable as implied by the generic name
(sweet veld).
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