Contribution of small ruminants to household income in the agroecological northwestern coastal zone of Egypt

Abstract

The study was conducted in the northwestern coastal zone of Egypt in order to explore the relative economic importance of small ruminant production. Based on water resources, the study area was divided into three agroecological sub­zones (AEZ): i) the rain-fed area (RA) in the west, ii) the dry area (DA) in the middle, and iii) the irrigated area (IA) in the east. Data collection was carried out through field surveys using a pre-tested questionnaire. Productivity ranged from 20.8 to 25.4 kg and from 18.9 to 20.9 kg for sheep and goats, respec­tively. Sheep and goat productivity was lower in DA than in RA or IA (p > 0.05). Small ruminant production was profitable under different AEZ. The returns on capital invested in sheep production were 22.3, 17.9 and 14.4% for IA, RA and DA, respectively. The corresponding figures for goat production were 16.5, 16.7 and 16.7%, respectively. The contribution of livestock to household income ranged from 40.8 to 71.6% across AEZ. Comparison between crop and livestock incomes in DA revealed that, whereas livestock accounted for 71.6% of the total net income, crop production contributed a mere 2.5–5%. Within the livestock sector, small ruminant contributed the highest (63.4%). Making farmers aware of the financial benefits of small ruminants may convince them to consider the lat­ter as a better alternative to crop production in terms of income generation. This will probably influence their decision on the allocation of their limited resources to the competing alternatives.