Section 4

Environmental and Cultural Dimensions to Africa's Regional Development

**183**

**Chapter 11**

**Abstract**

gender ownership, goats and cattle

social status of humans [2].

**1. Introduction**

The Role of Culture in Achieving

Sustainable Agriculture in South

Africa: Examining Zulu Cultural

Views and Management Practices

Africa continent has been said to lag behind in agricultural growth and development which has led to organizational and structural failures. Many factors have been investigated to this effect such as poor infrastructure, inadequate factors of production, poor energy, lack of modern agricultural facilities, etc. Cultural practices and the acceptability of advanced skills and knowledge have been less investigated as militating factors against agricultural growth and development. This chapter evaluates the Isi-Zulu cultural agricultural views and management practices of livestock on its productivity. A study was conducted at Umsinga municipality (Southeast of South Africa), dominated by Zulu culture. Small scaled farmers within the communities were engaged through a survey and focused group discussion. Prior research visits were made to the communities with chiefs and agricultural extension workers. A total of 90 small scaled farmers were selected across the municipality for this study. A survey was administered in the local language of the correspondence. Data showed that cultural purposes and management practices have been a limiting factor in livestock production. These have hindered agricultural growth and commercialization of livestock within municipality and province.

**Keywords:** cultural believes, management practices, Zulu, agriculture, livestock,

Agriculture, among all other sectors, has proven to have a closer relationship with natural resources and her impacts have been significant to mankind over the centuries [1]. Livestock farming has contributed tremendously to the livelihood and

This sector has been lacking behind compared to others in developing countries. There are very few partnership and corporate organizations in the agricultural sector, because the factor of production is costly (such as the inability to acquire land, low land nutritional value, the high cost of mechanization, lack of capital and access to good roads, etc.) [3]. Therefore, many farmers prefer to operate individually. This gives rise to

of Livestock and Its Productivity

*Adetoyese Ade. Adeyemo and Ekuyikeno Silas*
