Comparison of indigenous and foreign cattle for beef production at Matopos Research Station in Zimbabwe

Cattle breeds regarded as indigenous to Zimbabwe include the Mashona, Tuli and Nkone. History of the breeds, their development and promotion, and development of breed societies for each breed is described by Harvey (1987). Since commercial livestock production was introduced in Zimbabwe in the early colonial period, both the breeding policy and beef production have been based on the use of exotic breeds. The reason given was that the indigenous breeds were not productive and could not support commercial beef production. However, exotic breeds brought in from Europe were not well adapted to local production conditions and their performance was generally unsatisfactory when compared with their performance in Europe. In 1933, problems associated with the use of exotic breeds and the necessity to come up with a different breeding policy for the country was pointed out by Harvey (1987). He also pointed out the need to investigate the possibilities of evolving an indigenous or crossbred type of cattle more suited to ranching conditions in Zimbabwe than are the imported breeds. A large experiment was initiated at Matopos Research Station in 1938, the objective being to define a suitable breeding system for the improvement of exotic and indigenous cattle. Since that time, breed evaluation work has continued at the Matopos Research Station

Cultural Aspects in the Shona Monolingual Dictionary "Duramazwi Guru reChiShona"

In the compilation of dictionaries, lexicographers also take cognisance of the culture which is inherent in a language. This article will look at the way the cultural aspect is interwoven in the practice of dictionary making. Language is at the core of culture and it is the major vehicle for the transmission of a people's beliefs and values. Language is also an expression of social struc-tures and attitudes. No culture can exist which does not have a natural language at its centre. A language thus reflects a particular culture. Culture in this article will be taken to mean whatever a person must know in order to function in a particular society (Wardhaugh 1998: 215). The article will look at two aspects: (1) the interrelationship between language and culture and its bearing on lexicography; and (2) the treatment of cultural aspects in Duramazwi Guru reChiShona (2001). Exam-ples used in this article are drawn from the advanced Shona monolingual dictionary Duramazwi Guru reChiShona, and other Shona dictionaries, both monolingual and bilingual. Keywords: cultural competence, cultural aspects, cultural meaning, culture, dictionary, euphemism, extended meaning, idiom, lexicography, proverbs, shona, shona society, tabo

Monitoring of Sahiwal and Friesian cattle genetic improvement programmes in Kenya

Livestock genetic improvement programmes aim at identifying superior animals for specific traits and allowing only these animals to be parents of the next generation. The use of genetically superior animals is expected to result in improvements in the efficiency of production, which in turn ensures that livestock products are more cheaply available to the human population. It is important to monitor breeding programmes in order to check if targeted improvements are realised for the desired traits and to quantify the impact of the programmes on genetic variation and diversity. Working examples of livestock improvement programmes in sub-Saharan Africa are, however, limited. The aim of this paper is to show the importance of monitoring genetic improvement programmes using the examples of an improvement programme for the Sahiwal breed in Kenya and a progeny testing scheme for Friesian cattle in Kenya. The paper is based on reports by Rege et al. (1992) and Rege and Wakhungu (1992) for the Sahiwal project and Rege (1991a and 1991b) for the progeny testing scheme for Friesian cattle

The unique Kuri cattle of the Lake Chad Basin

The Kuri cattle breed is found on the shores and islands of Lake Chad. Its main habitat is in southern Chad and north-eastern Nigeria but the breed is also found in northern Cameroon, in Niger and, to a limited extent, in the Central African Republic. The Kuri are also known as the Baharie, Bare, Borrie, Boudouma, Dongolé, Koubouri, Buduma or White Lake Chad. The importance of the Kuri lies not only in its unique physical characteristics but also in its meat and milk production potentials. The breed is so acclimatised to the environs of Lake Chad that it is unable to survive elsewhere. This unique African breed is being threatened by extinction

Challenges Facing Women in School Leadership Positions: Experiences from a District in Zimbabwe

Successful educational leadership entails possessing the knowledge, skills and understanding of effective leadership skills along with the personal ability to effectively implement those skills. In Zimbabwe the occupational and leadership status of women in general is still suffering a wide gap, as there is unequal representation in leadership positions between men and women. This study, conducted in a rural district in Zimbabwe, aimed at understanding the challenges facing women in school leadership positions. In this article we argue that there are cultural, social and structural domains among others that impede the effective operations of women in school leadership positions. Using a qualitative research paradigm, six schools in one rural district were chosen for the study. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data from six female heads - three from primary schools and three from secondary schools. Focus group discussions were held with teachers from the same schools. The study established that there are cultural, structural, economic and social barriers facing women in school leadership positions. We recommend that different strategies should be set up for developmental programs for women in leadership positions. Keywords: Women in leadership, female school heads, school leadership, challenges facing women, women in school leadership positions DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-14-05 Publication date:May 31st 201