Goats—A pathway out of poverty

The paper focuses on the potential for goats to reduce poverty in Africa. The current systems of production are described. The social and economic roles played by goats in food security and income generation are considered. The potential and constraints to pro-poor goat development in Africa are assessed. Good practice in farmer participation, development of farmer organizations, service provision, credit, insurance and marketing are suggested. The key roles of political and cultural biases in constraining goat development are identified. Finally, the impact of HIV/AIDS and women and children’s rights are also highlighted. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.