Livestock extention programmes and packages in the communal lands of Zimbabwe

Abstract

n Zimbabwe in excess of 54 percent of the national herd is in the communal areas. This herd plays a crucial role in the communal area social economy - mainly in increasing food production, either directly or indirectly. Furthermore, this herd has a multi-function character. Thus the introduction of suitable production systems for the sub-sector is of prime importance to national development. In Zimbabwe, as in many African countries, "Livestock development planning has frequently been a case of planning without facts" (Grandin 1987). As a result the guiding principles of the livestock development strategy for communal areas have exhibited a high degree of freedom, emphasizing a learning approach as opposed to a blueprint approach.