Small stock farming flourishes in Kgalagadi Small stock farming ...

Guinea fowl farmerremainsArticle: Segomotso BasutiPhotos: Aggripah WillieLike any other man, ThekisoMadigwe dreamt of a happylife where he would not bedependent on any one for his nextmeal. But what happens when thisdoes not come true. One may betempted to give up and watch as hispursuit of a happy life evaporatesdue to countless setbacks they findthemselves in. Madigwe, however,soldiers on and preaches patienceamidst tough times.It has been three years since Madigweacquired Guinea Fowls through theLivestock Management InfrastructureDevelopment (LIMID) programme.His birds are escalating in numbers.Not knowing his story one would thinkbusiness is flourishing by looking atthem. This is not the case as each dayhas its challenges.Problems encountered by this farmerare many to count. It is howeversoothing to learn that he has placedoptimism above gloom. With the costof living escalating daily, Madigwestruggles to keep his business going.He states that in a month there isa lot of money spent on feeds andmedicine crippling him from seeinghis business grow.“Total expenses incurred in a monthare a sky rocketing P600.00, it wouldoptimisticoptimisticbe better if I was spending such anamount while there is growth but thereare just too many problems here.”Diseases are also something that iscausing havoc in Madigwe’s bird pen.He does all one could do to controlthem, but the rate at which the birdsdie is overwhelming.However, according to Madigwe, onecould sustain their lives throughGuinea Fowl rearing. Witha price tag of P150.00 hebelieves if the marketwas good in his area,he would be able to putfood on his table.“The market here isa problem, but I amyet to do an intensiveadvertising of mybusiness in hotels andlodges as selling toindividuals hasnot provedlucrative.”Government no longer providesassistance for Guinea Fowls under theLIMID programme. This Madigwe said,has been a big blow to Guinea Fowlfarmers as the government used tobuy from to assist other beneficiaries.With the cessation of the componentfrom the programme farmers haveto source their own market which isalready scarce.He said things used to be betteras government would buyfrom him to sell to farmerswho had been funded tostart their own projectsbut times have sincebeen tough. For farmerslike Madigwe, only hopekeeps them going. Thebelief that tomorrow willbe much brighter thanthe current day keepshim going despiteall odds.August 2012 16