Awareness and Willingness to Adopt Livestock Tracking Devices to Mitigate Stock Theft Among Eastern Cape Communal Farmers

Abstract

Stock theft has become increasingly versatile, disrupting rural economies and livelihoods, and jeopardising food security. Animal tracking devices, such as GPS collars, have been suggested as one of the technologies that could help minimise crime by enabling owners to keep track of their animal’s live location. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the awareness and willingness of communal livestock farmers to adopt livestock tracking devices for that purpose. A further objective was to determine the factors influencing the adoption of livestock tracking devices. Results from the data collected from 137 farmers in two villages show that 28% of farmers were aware of this technology and 42% were willing to purchase it, highlighting its affordable cost of R2500. The results underscore the poor quality of extension services, whose primary role is the dissemination of technology. Results from two logit and tobit models, which were used to determine the probability and extent of willingness to purchase, suggest that several factors, including household size, herd size, keeping sheep, and unfenced rangelands, play significant roles in influencing the farmers' decisions whether to purchase the animal tracking technology or not.