This article examines factors underlying communal beef cattle marketing at a
household level in Botswana, with emphasis placed on the role of public and private
transfers. Results show that public and private transfers (pensions, remittances,
government food rations, and food supplies from friends and relatives) discourage
cattle marketing. Thus, while they are important sources of household food security,
cash and food transfers may adversely impact on beef export performance in Botswana.
It is therefore fundamental that public transfer programmes are well targeted to
needy and poor households, in order to minimize their adverse effects on the cattle
industry. On the positive side, the paper argues that public transfer programmes may
assist poor farmers rebuild their cattle and other livestock inventory, contributing to
transition out of inter-generational poverty