Millions of smallholder farmers worldwide keep goats for milk, meat, and fiber. Simple, affordable interventions significantly improve goat welfare while supporting farmer livelihoods and food security.
Smallholder goats face welfare challenges rooted in resource constraints rather than indifference. Many welfare problems — parasite burden, lameness, nutritional deficiency — are familiar to smallholders but perceived as inevitable rather than preventable. Capacity building that translates welfare science into affordable, practical interventions transforms outcomes for millions of animals. The development of FAMACHA scoring for targeted parasite treatment is an example of a welfare innovation specifically designed for resource-limited contexts. Improving smallholder goat welfare requires context-appropriate solutions that account for the farmer's economic constraints while providing meaningful improvements for animals.