Mdukatshani Rural Livestock Project helps rural goat farmers to scale new heights – Rauri Alcock

What started as a project to help land reform farmers become more productive and commercially viable has developed into the successful Mdukatshani Rural Livestock Project, which facilitates rural auction sales of goats. So far, the project has earned 9000 rural farmers about R200-R300 million. The project has facilitated several auctions to set fair market prices for livestock, reducing the exploitation by speculators. A cashless system has also been introduced for secure transactions. Behind this success is Rauri Alcock, who told Biznews in an interview that most of the farmers they work with are women. Alcock said they have decided to concentrate on goats because they are low-hanging fruit, with 80-90% of the national goat herd owned by African farmers. Alcock describes the goats, found all over the rural areas of South Africa, as being similar to cockroaches—they will eat anything and can push back against invasive species encroaching on grasslands, which is also good for the environment. Most of the goats sold are for ancestral sacrificial ceremonies. Alcock wants to scale the project and his aim is ultimately to see regular sales rural areas and to reduce imports from countries like Botswana and Namibia.