Assessment of Entrepreneurial Skills for Smallholder Broiler Producers in Zimbabwe: A Case of Mazowe District in Mashanaland Central Province

Abstract

The objective of the study was to assess the marketing and financial skills of small scale broiler farmers in Mazowe District, ward 14. Sixty farmers were purposively selected to participate in the survey, which was conducted through a questionnaire. Aspects captured include; social demography, financial and marketing related issues in broilers. On the marketing skills, the data collected were market segmentation, main markets, strategies done to promote sales, ways of informing customers about the broilers and marketing constraints faced by farmers. Results showed that 45% of the farmers segmented their markets, financial skills assessed captured critical information on the type of records kept by these farmers, how the project income is spent, the cost of production per bird, how the price of broiler chickens was determined, how they enhance their business skills and the financial challenges faced by these farmers. After selling their broiler chickens, 50% of the respondents indicated that they plough back the capital and spend the profits on their needs. The observations indicated that small scale farmers have technical skills of raising broilers but lack financial and marketing skills.