| With a low purchase price and production cost, small ruminants are considered to be a kind of live, short-term savings account which can be rapidly converted into cash to cover planned (school fees, religious festivals and family gatherings) and unplanned (health problems, poor harvest, funerals) expenses. Prolific breeders due to a short reproductive cycle of six months to one year, generations are rapidly renewed, increasing the size and value of the herd or flock. The animals thus constitute both a store of wealth and a source of regular income for families. There are no dietary, religious, or ethnic restrictions on the sale of the animals or their products. According to the FAO, in 2013 their sale in humid and sub-humid regions represented respectively 30% and 80% of household incomes. In arid and semi-arid regions, these percentages were 17% and 58%. The amount is highest when the small ruminants involved are goats which continue to produce milk even in drought periods.
Small ruminants are both a capital asset and a savings account for poor households. |
