The challenges faced by inexperienced goat keepers in introducing goats as weed control agents

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of goats for the control and removal of weeds in open spaces from the perspective of reducing the environmental impact, recycling resources, and creating new landscapes, in addition to compensating for shrinking budgets and workforces of municipalities. However, because of the lack of systematic information on the challenges often faced by inexperienced goat farmers in using goats as weed control agents, the keys to the successful utilization of goats for the task remain unmapped. Therefore, we conducted explorative interviews with fifteen goat keepers on Awaji Island and in the Kansai area of Japan who had started goat weed control without prior experience. From the obtained narratives, the process for introducing goats as weed control agents was organized in chronological order. During the investigation, we found that six goat keepers could not meet their original objectives, while nine overcame their difficulties. Throughout the investigation, the issues that arose in the process and the responses of the keepers were recorded and categorized according to their causes. Our findings suggest the necessary points to be considered for utilizing goats for weed control in the future, depending on the stage of introduction.