Towards Intensive Co-operated Agribusiness: A Gender-Based Comparative Borich Needs Assessment Model Analysis of Beef Cattle Farmers in Eswatini

Abstract

Beef cattle farming assumes a pivotal role in economic growth, household food security, and poverty alleviation in Eswatini. However, paucity of information dissemination, and competence are drawbacks that accord a steady annual increase in beef imports and a decline in exports. Therefore, the study conducted a gender-based comparative assessment of training needs for beef cattle farmers. Primary data were collected through personal interviews, guided by a reliability-tested questionnaire, from a sample of 397 farmers. The Borich Needs Assessment Model was adopted for data analysis and inferential statistics were employed to evaluate statistically significant differences between the gender groups. On a scale of 5, farmers were found to be less proficient (M = 1.891, SD = 0.529) in cattle production and agribusiness management practices. Female farmers were significantly less proficient than males (t = −6.004, p = 0.000). Statistically significant differences in mean weighted discrepancy scores (t = 5.280, p = 0.000) revealed a strong training need for females compared to men. It is recommended that dissemination of training information should be prioritized as follows: (1) agribusiness management concepts, (2) feed and feeding concepts, (3) cattle health concepts, (4) farmer-organizational concepts, (5) farm structures, and (6) breeding and rearing concepts.

Examining Profitability, Viability, and Commercialization Level of Beef Cattle Production among Pastoralists in the Simanjiro District of the Manyara Region, Tanzania

“…Moreover, the beef cattle breeds kept by pastoralists included exotic breeds (mean = 0.2), local breeds (mean = 117.8), and crossbreeds (mean = 1.7). This implies that beef cattle production among pastoralists is dominated by local breed beef [1]. Low productivity and low market value hinder economic sustainability of beef cattle production among pastoralists.…”

“…High-quality breeding stocks in-crease the productivity and market value of beef cattle. Consequently, this generates market incentives, which promote profitability, viability (efficiency), and commercialization of beef cattle production [1].…”

“…Beef cattle production is significant in wealth creation and improving livelihoods of pastoralists, thus reducing poverty in pastoral communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania [1][2]. Moreover, beef cattle farming plays a crucial role in the etiquette and social status of pastoralists, thus, it is advantageous because of its high economic and social value [3].…”

How Are Rural Youths’ Agricultural Skills? Empirical Results and Implications in Southwest China

“…These two significant downward trends may be related to the social norm of gender division and changing rural labor policies. In mainstream society, men are always regarded as family breadwinners, while women are less involved in production [42][43][44]. Influenced by this idea, during the early days of China's opening-up policy, it was primarily men who left rural areas to participate in non-agricultural industries [45,46], while the women who remained in the rural areas were forced to take on agricultural production responsibilities, improving their agricultural skills in the process [47,48].…”

Assessing adult and continuing education needs in South Korea metropolitan areas using Borich’s needs assessment model

“…needs) between the present situation and the desired state of affairs. Borich's (1980) formula has been used in several previous studies to prioritize training needs (Saleh and Man, 2017;Umar et al, 2017;Dlamini and Huang, 2020;Kim et al, 2020). However, there is no criterion for how high a ranking should be to qualify as a top priority.…”