In southern Africa (Namibia, South Africa, and
Botswana), the south-western states of the USA and
Mexico, meat production from goats is a commercial
enterprise to many livestock farmers. The action is deliberate. However, in other areas such as the western regions
of Syria, goats are part of a mixed cropping–livestock
system and multiple service providing milk, dairy products
and meat for the family (Wurzinger et al., 2008). A
similar situation prevails in Kenya (Bett et al., 2007a) and
in southern Africa where indigenous goats are kept by
small-scale farmers, communal farmers and households
(Roets and Kirsten, 2005). Off-take as meat for sale in
these systems is marginal.