Farmers’ perceptions of the causes of low reproductive performance in cows kept under low-input communal production systems in South Africa Noluvuyo Nqeno & Michael Chimonyo & Cletos Mapiye Accepted: 17 March 2010 / Published online: 16 October 2010 # Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 Abstract The objective of the study was to determine farmers’ perceptions of the causes of low reproductive performance in Nguni cows raised on communal rangelands in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Data were collected using participatory rural appraisals and structured questionnaires that were administered to 551 randomly selected farmers from ten communities in the Eastern Cape. Cattle herd sizes ranged from 3 to 11 and were mainly composed of cows. Cattle sales were ranked as the most important use of cattle in all the villages. Tick-borne diseases and poor animal condition were reported as chief constraints of cattle production in most communities. More than 60% of the interviewees reported that the age at puberty and age at first calving for their cows varied between 18 and 36, and 24 and 48 months, respectively. About 95% of the respondents reported long calving intervals and low bull numbers as major causes of low reproductive performance in cows in the communal areas. It was concluded that farmers perceived delayed age at puberty and at first calving, long calving intervals and low bull numbers as the major causes of low reproductive performance in Nguni cows raised on communal rangelands in South Africa. Keywords Age at puberty . Calving interval . Cow fertility . Low bull numbers . Youth participation Introduction More than 65% of the human population in the Eastern Cape live in communal areas, where poverty and food insecurity levels are high (Delali et al. 2006). In most communal areas, famers keep various livestock species including cattle, goats, sheep and chickens (Mapiye et al. 2009a). Of these, cattle are the most valued due to their multiple functions and roles in communal areas (Delali et al. 2006). To enhance the welfare of the poor, production efficiency and socio-cultural contribution of cattle in the communal areas should be improved and sustained. At present, cattle production efficiency in the communal areas of South Africa is low (Mapiye et al. 2009b), but the factors influencing production efficiency are poorly understood and warrant investigation. Mapekula et al. (2009) reported low cow reproductive efficiency as one of the factors contributing to low cattle production efficiency in the communal areas of South Africa. For example, cows in the communal areas have long calving intervals of nearly 24 months and heifers produce their first calves between 24 and 36 months. Although these parameters confirm the existence of poor reproductive performance, their underlying causes are difficult to establish and evaluate under communal rangeland conditions. Most communal rangelands in the Eastern Cape, for example, are found in the mountains and are far (10–20 km) away from the homesteads. Such physical barriers limits routine movement and night enclosure of cattle, and subsequently, frequent monitoring of cow reproductive performance. Low reproductive efficiency hinders genetic improvement efforts and causes direct economic loss to communal cattle producers (Swai et al. 2005). To improve cow reproductive efficiency, it is crucial to actively engage the communities to participate in the identification and quantification of problems they face and the possible solutions to their constraints (Nqeno et al. 2010). In South Africa, cattle production in the communal areas is predominated by and the indigenous Nguni cattle and nondescript crossbred cattle. The nondescript crossbred N. Nqeno : M. Chimonyo (*) : C. Mapiye Department of Livestock and Pasture Science, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Fort Hare, P. Bag X1314, Alice 5700, Republic of South Africa e-mail: mchimonyo@ufh.ac.za Trop Anim Health Prod (2011) 43:315–321 DOI 10.1007/s11250-010-9691-2