The Socio-Cultural and Economic Significance of Goats Among the amaXhosa People of South Africa: A Review 

Abstract

The interplay between the traditional utility of goats and cultural beliefs influencing their economic and social significance has been largely overlooked in research, including in South Africa. Factually, studies have been inclined to ignore the intricate relationships that exist in goat keeping and the economic as well as the socio-cultural impact among households and subsistence farmers of the “amaXhosa” people. Given the regions’ exceptional political and economic past and the present search to promote food sustainability and hunger reduction, a focus on the convergence of goat as an essential livestock commodity and its socio-cultural and economic prospects is worthwhile, and most especially considering the negative impact of the post-global pandemic COVID-19 era and its effect on food availability and hunger in this part of the world. In this light, a literature review of the socio-cultural and economic importance of the goat is being expounded so as to advance germane insights into the relationships that exist between the goat and its role to boost socio-economic prospects among the amaXhosa people from the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The study underscores the need to understand the prevailing economic and socio-cultural significance of goats among the amaXhosa people and how it influences their financial status, health benefits, and consumption pattern of the animal and its products (milk and meat) while addressing some prevalent challenges that may limit their potential and contributions to tackle malnutrition and food insecurity in the region.