Research and Training Strategies for Goat Production Systems in ...

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The potential of leather production from goats Michael C Ginn Manager, Leathercraft Division LIRI Technologies, (Leather Industries Research Institute), Rhodes University P O Box 185, GRAHAMSTOWN 6140, Email: mike.liri@imaginet.ac.za The concept Leather offers an opportunity for benefaction through crafting resulting in real profit to leathercrafters and others. Successful crafting underwrites a great string of potential further jobs and benefits to allied participants in the form of raw product procurers, tanners, craft material distributors, beaders, marketers, product promoters, designers, materials producers, etc. Value Addition There is good potential for resource benefaction. A goat skin, properly flayed and cured is worth approximately - R4.00 3 After tanning, (at a cost of some R25.00), its value increases to some - R40.00 As finished leathercraft items it could readily be worth as much as - R400.00 At the workshop held at the Irene Animal Nutrition and Animal Products Institute of the Agricultural Research Council of 24 June 1997 it was speculated that, of the estimated seven and a half million goats of all types, (indigenous and the milch goat, boerbok and etc.), in southern Africa, (and the speaker was at pains to point out the difficulties of arriving at accurate national figures), some 40 000 goats (just more than half of one per cent) are slaughtered monthly, mostly for ritual purpose. It has also been estimated that less than 10% of the skins resulting from these slaughters find their way to a tannery. This is a huge loss to the country, and in particular the rural areas. Extrapolated to annual terms this translates to approximately 400 000 goats. The lost goat skins could be worth as much as - R1 600 000.00 After tanning the loss would increase to approximately - R16 000 000.00 And, as finished leathercraft items, they could be worth as much as - R160 000 000.00 This represents a truly staggering loss to the goat owners, rural tanners, leathercrafters and to the multitude of people who might be involved in the distribution and marketing of these products and the supplying of goods and services to the crafting trade. While the above figures do not take into account the basic costs of materials and labour, as a community 3 NOTE: There has been a recent collapse in the price paid for the skins of goats, hair- and wool-sheep and small game due to oversupply in the face of the problems being encountered in the Asian and Russian economies. However, the price of the raw skin is the least factor in the above calculations and is to the benefit, in a small way, of the tanner and the crafter. 42
project and driven by effective design, the benefaction and resulting value to communities all over the country cannot be over estimated. Design stimuli The most important factors in the successful implementation of a leathercraft development programme to address this potential, are: 1. the level of research into and quality of the design and manufacture of goods, 2. the successful training of participants, 3. the correct marketing infrastructure and, it must be added, 4. the enthusiastic support and participation of the delegates to this Workshop. Present day South Africa’s peoples are distinguished by racial groups with good ethnic and artistic design identity. Ndebele house painting, Zulu beadwork, Xhosa grass weaving, Khoisan leatherwork, Cape Malay parade and dance costumes, wood carving from the north, terra cotta pottery from the east, bone carving, metal working, the list is long and impressive. Much of the present day craft output comes from producers who are highly skilled and artistic. There is no reason why leather cannot be another highly viable craft raw material and, if good tanning methods are used, leather is an environmentally friendly and continuously renewable resource. As long as humans continue to eat meat, leather will be a by-product. It does not offer the same threat to resources as wood carving, Baobab fibre weaving, even soap-stone carving and, indeed, undertaking the tanning and crafting of discarded skins is better for the environment than leaving them to rot. Southern Africa is also blessed with one of the world’s great and outstanding artistic heritages in the form of San Rock Art. This is an invaluable design resource and a potent means of attracting visitors to sites where crafters can gather. It is a sad fact that over the past hundred years African leather has largely been neglected and forgotten. Most existing examples of ethnic leathercraft are only to be found in museums. Research by the writer and the subsequent recreation of some African leather items has been received with enthusiasm by visitors to South Africa. These designs, some of which are on display here today, now await funding for transfer to potential crafters. The market At the annual National Festival of the Arts in Grahamstown the foreign craft on offer outnumbers locally produced goods and, I regret to have to admit, often outclasses it as well. However, the effort made by foreign craft makers to come and sell their produce in South Africa should be seen as a challenge not a threat, because it indicates the strength of the local market and therefore the potential it offers for local expansion of craft development and training. The close association of leather and man is very true of African leather and the constant theme of decorative/functional appears at every turn. Foreign tourists are fascinated by the association of craft items with social position and the dance and are willing customers of samples that remain a reminder of their southern African visit. I believe that there is potential to create a useful (even modern) item, such as a key pouch, and to decorate the same basic design in the typical style of each ethnic or language group. This would have several important consequences: 43
Page 1 and 2: Research and Training Strategies fo
Page 3 and 4: Goat breeding and reproduction 1. R
Page 5 and 6: Welcoming address NH Casey Head: De
Page 7 and 8: understandable that the efficiency
Page 9 and 10: Winrock International, 1992. Assess
Page 11 and 12: 3. Investigate the potential benefi
Page 13 and 14: The Australian goat industries Barr
Page 15 and 16: The farming systems approach: the c
Page 17 and 18: expose others in the community to t
Page 19 and 20: Table 2 Total slaughtering during 1
Page 21 and 22: In the Northern Province a major co
Page 23 and 24: history of communal land use. The v
Page 25 and 26: Table 2 The livestock ownership pat
Page 27 and 28: Data analysis Data was analysed usi
Page 29 and 30: Dyamala Melani Univ. of Fort Hare R
Page 31 and 32: Illius, A.W. and O' Connor, T.G., i
Page 33 and 34: achieved in other parts of the worl
Page 35 and 36: The main disease identified was coc
Page 37 and 38: Table 2 Milk yields and milk compos
Page 39 and 40: supplementation in the form of luce
Page 41 and 42: Results Mean weights of goats from
Page 43 and 44: productivity of ruminants, is furth
Page 45: Anindo, D., Toe, F., Tembely, S., M
Page 49 and 50: profit from skins on the farm. It m
Page 51 and 52: Year n Kidded n Born n Weaned n Bor
Page 53 and 54: Table 6 Most preferred grass, tree
Page 55 and 56: the hair) of the various breeds is
Page 57 and 58: The down fibre diameter profile of
Page 59 and 60: Biological constraints and opportun
Page 61 and 62: development, although there is evid
Page 63 and 64: Feeding behaviour of free range goa
Page 65 and 66: habits of goats have demonstrated a
Page 67 and 68: R. lucida, 203.8 230.0 146.1 186.5
Page 69 and 70: Provenza, F.D., Burritt, E.A., Clau
Page 71 and 72: Treatments involved different combi
Page 73 and 74: programme following chemical bush c
Page 75 and 76: Potential of some agroforestry shru
Page 77 and 78: Jones, R.J. Value of Leucaena leuco
Page 79 and 80: Table 4 Total supplement intake (kg
Page 81 and 82: functioning of the whole plant and
Page 83 and 84: - on native pastures. - The use of
Page 85 and 86: Communal goat production In communa
Page 87 and 88: Rwandan goats (21 months). The dela
Page 89 and 90: 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Graph 3 Seasonal
Page 91 and 92: Cervical insemination of indigenous
Page 93 and 94: ovulated. Only a trial with control
Page 95 and 96: taken that females are not pregnant
Page 97 and 98:
producing a pregnancy and a live ki
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Management of goats at pasture Barr
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1 Cradock Experimental Station, PO
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Table 2 Percentage raw combed cashm
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Our current ability to select, mani
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103 farming operations in Southern
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UNIVERSITY OF FORT HARE CURRENT AND
Page 111 and 112:
MARA RESEARCH STATION, DEPARTMENT O
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The billy goats also received light
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Goat research at Medunsa EF Donkin
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4. New Research Projects Using the
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UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA Computerised
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Expected Benefits * The research re
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119 of healthy and nutritious produ
Page 125 and 126:
121 farming systems. The following
Page 127 and 128:
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Surname First
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