Production Characteristics and Management Practices of Indigenous Tswana Sheep in Southern Districts of Botswana

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Indigenous Tswana sheep are an important agricultural resource that largely contribute to the economic, socio-cultural and spiritual aspects of resource-poor farmers. Therefore, as was the aim of this study, exploring and describing the production system in which they are raised, their management including breeding practices is thus crucial to inform researchers, farmers, and policymakers on the formulation of sustainable improvement strategies, sustainable utilization and conservation of these vital animal genetic resources. In the southern part of Botswana, indigenous Tswana sheep are mostly kept by single males aged 51–60 mostly with primary and secondary levels of education. Most Tswana sheep are kept for cash generation through sales, followed by meat consumption and ceremonial obligations, especially in the southern district. Most farmers across districts castrate their young rams at over 3 months of age and most farmers rely on natural pastures for feeding. Feed supplementation is conducted mostly during the dry season while no supplementation is generally practiced during the wet season as there is plenty of palatable forage. Most farmers prefer Tswana rams over exotic breeds because of their ability to survive and reproduce under the Botswana harsh environment. This information is crucial in the formulation of sustainable improvement strategies. ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to describe the indigenous Tswana sheep production systems, their management and farmers’ preferred selection traits when selecting breeding rams in four southern districts of Botswana. A total of 105 households; Kgatleng (n = 30), Kweneng (n = 27), southern (n = 24) and south–east (n = 24) districts were interviewed using structured questionnaire. An index-based approach was used to rank farmers’ most preferred traits for their production systems. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The Chi-square test was used to assess the statistical significance among categorical variables. The results indicated that indigenous Tswana sheep are mainly kept by males, single people, aged between 51 and 60 years possessing primary and secondary education. Management practices across the districts include castration, health care and supplementation mostly during the dry season. Superior fitness traits of indigenous Tswana rams over exotic rams were considered more important when selecting breeding rams in Kgatleng, Kweneng and south–east while in the southern district, rams were mainly selected based on body size. Most farmers kept breeding rams while those who did not keep rams depended on communal rams for service. This information is important in designing successful breeding programs and strategies for the conservation and sustainable utilization of indigenous Tswana sheep genetic resources.