Socio-economic data for livestock development: notes and observations from Zambia

Abstract

Socio-economic data on livestock has been a neglected topic in rural development literature. Many interesting and relevant studies into nomadic and sedentary pastoral societies have been conducted across Africa, particularly by social anthropologists (e.g. Gulliver 1955) . In addition, a number of surveys and topic-specific studies have been carried out as part of livestock development projects. However, the issue of how to incorporate social science more effectively into the livestock project cycle has only recently been considered (Dyson-Hudson 1985). Comparatively little has been written about methodologies appropriate for conducting surveys and studies on socioeconomic aspects of livestock management.