APPRAISING THE VIABILITY OF QUAIL (CHIHUTA) FARMING. PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES. A CASE OF BINDURA URBAN FARMERS IN ZIMBABWE
Abstract
Quail production refers to the rearing of birds, meticulouslychosen with the use of comparatively exhaustive systems,for meat, eggs or other purposes. The study was carriedout in Bindura urban area to evaluate the viability of urban quailfarming. A total of 40 urban quail farmers selected throughsnowball sampling, and 10 key randomly selected informantswere interviewed. Semi-structured interview guides were used,addressing such topics as history, ownership, management,opportunities, challenges and business records of urban quailfarming in Bindura town, Zimbabwe. A descriptive analysisof data was performed. As shown by the results, the rearing ofquails is a new agricultural business in the history of Zimbabwe.The main challenges highlighted by urban quail farmersincluded inadequate housing facilities, insufficient space, theft,predation, inadequate knowledge, fluctuations in market prices,inability to access credit and misconceptions in urban agriculturepolicies. Despite the challenges cited above, urban quailfarmers manage to provide eggs and meat to their families andrelatives. Urban quail farming proved to have the potential toboost family income and reduce poverty to some extent. Also,it provides an opportunity for academic research on the allegedmedicinal properties of quails. The study concluded that urbanquail farming plays an important, yet unexplored, role for thelivelihoods of the urban population. The study recommendspolicy changes that address the following issues: new developmentsin urban agricultural planning; awareness and educationcampaigns for various stakeholders; monitoring and coordinatingurban agricultural activities; and provision of loans andother credit facilities. The study also proposes the governmentto support quail farmers through the establishment of processingfacilities for quail products.
Keywords
urban agriculture; quail; livelihoods; poverty
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