Constraints in Women's Goat Farming Entrepreneurship: An Analysis

The present study was conducted in four cluster villages of Khordha, Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur districts of Odisha to analyze the constraints perceived by the women farmers in goat farming. A total of 132 women farmers with active involvement in goat rearing were randomly selected from the study area in order to assess the entrepreneurial attitudes and activities undertaken by them. The data were collected by direct and personal interviews using a pre-tested, semi-structured interview schedule containing a list of constraints based on the mindset of women farmers for entrepreneurship development. The Garrett ranking technique was used to determine the most significant factor (constraint) that was perceived to influence the respondents. The study identified various constraints perceived to be severe by the women farmers in goat farming including poor access to quality breeds and improved buck services, lack of awareness on preparation and feeding of balanced ration, poor coverage under livestock insurance schemes, Poor market linkages and dependence on middlemen for selling of goats and products, high vulnerability to disease outbreaks and climatic shocks, and lack of technical guidance and training facilities for running enterprise in goatery sector. The shrinking of grazing land, inadequate availability of breeding buck, health care and marketing by middleman not providing remunerative price to kids were the major issues faced by women farmers. The results revealed that, the participation of women farmers is hindered by various constraints, including limited access to resources such as land, finance, technology, socio-cultural barriers, work load and vulnerabilities. Despite these challenges, initiatives aimed at empowering women in goat farming through education, skill based training, access to resources, and supportive policies have shown promising results. Sustained efforts to support and empower women in goat farming are crucial for inclusive growth and gender equality in agriculture general and animal husbandry in particular.