I Herd a Rumor...

from jack...
I’ve learned a lot about goats recently. Did you know that a full grown female goat can produce 2-3 kids per pregnancy, with up to 2 pregnancies per year? Yep, and they eat just about anything too, so can graze just about anywhere. And here in South India, goat meat is actually preferable over all other kinds of meat with the exception of chicken, so a full grown goat can be sold for anywhere from $40 – 50, or more if it is a pregnant female. As a result, a herd of 3 goats (example 1 male and 2 females = approx $150 value) can become a herd of 11 in just 12 months ($550 value), with geometric and exponential growth at a vast rate in only a couple of years. In addition, here in Kalavai, while the Irla people are technically of the “rat/snake catcher caste”, they are often permitted to watch and herd other wealthier people’s goats, thus giving them some shepherding experience (note that in that instance, the Irla people are not actually “paid” a wage, but rather are allowed to keep one kid if a pregnant goat gives two when it gives birth). So when we started trying to figure out what kind of potential income-generating occupation might be best for the Irla people, they suggested purchasing small “micro-herds” (i.e. 3 goats/herd) for start-up for the poorest and neediest of their community to try out. We thought that sounded like a great idea, so set about figuring out where to purchase goats and how best to put together a business model to help them manage them once purchased with a “prototype” group of 6 women from the village.