Page 55 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 26
P. 55
Food Health
Zimbabwe’s herd value arid and desert conditions, it’s
has been compromised by clear that Western farming or
genetic hybridization, while animal husbandry techniques
reproductive capacity has are inferior to traditional
likely been reduced due to practices.
factors such as hybridization,
vaccinations, GMO feeding So why then are African
and pesticide contamination leaders pushing us to follow
of feed which has resulted in a inferior Western farming
average price of $1300 due less disease tolerant herd. systems instead of using
to their purebred cattle, while empirical evidence on the
in Zimbabwe, the average is Even South Africa, which continent to build the farming
$250 per cow due to reduced utilizes Western technology models we should follow?
pure bloodlines. Chad, with a in cattle ranching, has a lower I recently read a US
population of 17 million, has a cattle per capita ratio than even Department of Trade memo
herd worth an average of $41.6 Zimbabwe, with 12.3 million encouraging US companies to
billion or $2447 per person in cattle in a nation of 61 million enter Chad, Ethiopia and Sudan
national wealth terms. people. The average price of a to sell vaccines, medicines,
cow in South Africa is $410, and veterinary products. They
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe, with totaling $4.9 billion or $82 per are now trying to undermine
16 million citizens and a herd person. these successful cattle ranching
of 5.6 million valued at an countries, and if their leaders
average of $250 per cow, has a Given these observations and are like those in Southern
herd worth $1.4 billion or $93 the fact that the countries with Africa, they will blindly copy
per person in national wealth some of the biggest herds in and destroy their national
terms. Africa are in nations with semi- wealth. #WakeUpAfrica
ISSUE 26 | APRIL 2024 55
