216
along the Shire River. This area was purposively chosen because it is one of the
areas that have a high concentration of cattle population in Malawi. According to
Malawi Government (2016), the area has a cattle population of 199,138, of which
175,966 (88%) are Malawi Zebu. Chikwawa District lies in a rain-shadow area
along the Shire River Basin that is vulnerable to climate-related shocks and with
low resilience abilities (Coulibaly et al. 2015). It is increasingly experiencing climate change and weather variability-induced events such as prolonged droughts and
flooding (Malawi Government 2015).
3.2 Data Collection
The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. A total
of 100 cattle keepers were purposively selected from a list of members of the
Chikwawa Livestock Association (CLA). The data was collected through face-toface interviews held in farmers’ homes using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. As part of triangulation, additional data was also collected through four focus
groups that comprised eight cattle keepers (four females and four males) and
through interviews with key informants including the four members of the CLA and
five livestock extension workers in the study area. Secondary data was collected
through review of published and grey literature. The data collected included household demographics, farmers’ understanding of weather variability and perceived
weather variability-related impacts on livestock water supply (both quantity and
quality), pasture/fodder availability, grazing or feeding systems or patterns, quality
and quantity of feeds, incidences of heat stress, livestock vectors and disease prevalence, livestock-based livelihoods and coping or adaptation strategies employed.
3.3 Data Analysis
The data collected was analysed using IBM SPSS version 18 where descriptive
statistics such as percentages and frequencies were used for summarising and presenting the results.
4 Results
4.1 Demographic Characteristics of Respondents
Out of the 100 respondents, 69% were male and 31% were female. Majority of the
respondents (47%) were aged 33–49 years followed by those aged between 16 and
32 years (23%). The rest were 55–66 years old (16%) or older (14%). Sixty-one
percent of the respondents were married, while 19%, 16% and 4% were single,
J. Nanganga and A. C. L. Safalaoh
along the Shire River. This area was purposively chosen because it is one of the
areas that have a high concentration of cattle population in Malawi. According to
Malawi Government (2016), the area has a cattle population of 199,138, of which
175,966 (88%) are Malawi Zebu. Chikwawa District lies in a rain-shadow area
along the Shire River Basin that is vulnerable to climate-related shocks and with
low resilience abilities (Coulibaly et al. 2015). It is increasingly experiencing climate change and weather variability-induced events such as prolonged droughts and
flooding (Malawi Government 2015).
3.2 Data Collection
The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. A total
of 100 cattle keepers were purposively selected from a list of members of the
Chikwawa Livestock Association (CLA). The data was collected through face-toface interviews held in farmers’ homes using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. As part of triangulation, additional data was also collected through four focus
groups that comprised eight cattle keepers (four females and four males) and
through interviews with key informants including the four members of the CLA and
five livestock extension workers in the study area. Secondary data was collected
through review of published and grey literature. The data collected included household demographics, farmers’ understanding of weather variability and perceived
weather variability-related impacts on livestock water supply (both quantity and
quality), pasture/fodder availability, grazing or feeding systems or patterns, quality
and quantity of feeds, incidences of heat stress, livestock vectors and disease prevalence, livestock-based livelihoods and coping or adaptation strategies employed.
3.3 Data Analysis
The data collected was analysed using IBM SPSS version 18 where descriptive
statistics such as percentages and frequencies were used for summarising and presenting the results.
4 Results
4.1 Demographic Characteristics of Respondents
Out of the 100 respondents, 69% were male and 31% were female. Majority of the
respondents (47%) were aged 33–49 years followed by those aged between 16 and
32 years (23%). The rest were 55–66 years old (16%) or older (14%). Sixty-one
percent of the respondents were married, while 19%, 16% and 4% were single,
J. Nanganga and A. C. L. Safalaoh