Constraints hindering the development of communal livestock production and opportunities which exist in Nyandeni Local Municipality Eastern Cape Province South Africa

The study identifies the constraints faced by communal livestock farmers and the opportunities which exist to develop communal livestock production in Nyandeni Local Municipality in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Previous research has indicated that some of the most common problems in the developing world are feeding practices, health issues and inadequate support services. The previous research also showed that the livestock industry in the small scale sector is developing slowly and in some areas of South Africa the livestock numbers have not grown. Lastly, it also showed that an improvement in extension services would be able to benefit small-scale livestock owners. The study was qualitative in nature. Convenience sampling method was used to collect the data. The data comprised of goat, cattle and sheep farmers. The data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires. Data was coded, captured and analyzed using SPSS version 23 to find frequencies, means, and compare means between variables. The findings showed that the mean age of the respondents was 55. The independent t-test showed a higher significant difference in mean age of male compared to female respondents (P