The latest official statistics reveal that cattle numbers in the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs) have increased to 1.6 million whilst livestock numbers south of the Veterinary Cordon Fence (VCF) have decreased to 1.2 million cattle, largely as a result of rangeland degradation and bush encroachment.
According to the recently published booklet "Creating Rural Wealth - Sustainable Agriculture in the Communal Areas," productivity remains very low in the NCAs, despite the vast increase in cattle numbers. This is a result of the over-utilisation of the resource and land degradation with meat markets still largely being supplied from south of the VCF. Similarly, the livestock sector contributes 76 percent of the total agricultural output in the country, but only six percent of this is generated from the NCAs.
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