Ntuthuko Nyathi, a young farmer who has ventured into commercial goat rearing in Gwanda district, Matabeleland South province. He established the venture in 2020 after the establishment of the Gwanda Goat Improvement Centre (GIC) under the VALUE project in 2019. In 2020, Ntuthuko became a member of the Gwanda Goat Producer Business Association, later becoming the Chairperson.

The GICs are hubs for small and medium-scale goat producers constructed to the offering various services such as breed improvement, dipping, veterinary drug sales, sale of fodder seed, and aggregation of bulk slaughter and breeding stock.

Following the trainings on goat production, Ntuthuko invested in a one-hectare plot where he constructed modern goat housing and other infrastructure. He started off with 50 does of the Matabele breed and invested in two Boer goat bucks. In 2021 his herd reached 300 goats and he managed to sell 150 goats as breeding stock at USD120 per goat.

In 2020, Nyathi invested in a pick-up truck worth USD2,500 as part of the business. He has also established a one-hectare fodder plot to produce supplementary feed his goat herd. “My vision in the next five years is to sell at least 500 goats annually”, he said.

Watch a video of Ntuthuko's story below: