## 3 Results
### Farmers Perception of Drought-Related Issues in Rural Communities  
Figure 2 represents the perceived impact of drought as a crisis requiring urgent intervention in small-holder cattle production. Based on the chi-square test results, the association between participants' responses and the perceived impact of drought is not statistically significant. The chi-square value of 0.00234 and a \(p\)-value of 0.9581, which is greater than the significance level of 0.05, indicates a very small deviation from the expected frequencies under the assumption of independence. Looking at the distribution of responses, we see that the majority of participants (65%) agreed that drought is perceived as a crisis requiring urgent intervention in small-holder cattle production. This indicates a consensus among the respondents, highlighting their recognition of the severity of drought's impact on cattle production systems and the need for immediate action. A significant proportion (25%) of participants expressed uncertainty or lack of clarity regarding whether drought should be considered a crisis requiring urgent intervention. This suggests that there is a level of indecisiveness or lack of consensus among this group regarding the severity and urgency of addressing drought-related issues. A smaller proportion (10%) of participants disagreed that drought is a crisis requiring urgent intervention. This minority opinion may reflect the perception that the impact of drought on cattle production is not significant enough to warrant immediate action or that alternative strategies can effectively manage the situation. Overall, while the majority agreement highlights the consensus among the participants regarding the urgency of addressing drought in small-holder cattle production, the lack of statistical significance in the chi-square test suggests that the association between participants' responses and the perceived impact of drought is not strong. This finding emphasizes the need for further investigation and consideration of additional factors that may influence participants' perceptions and responses. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Demographic Characteristic** & **Cattle-Herd Ownership** & **Chi-Square** & \(p\)**-Value** \\ \hline Gender & Frequency & \% & & \\ Male & 148 & 59.2 & 6.21 & 0.030 \\ Female & 102 & 40.8 & & \\ \hline Age group & & & & \\
18–30 years & 53 & 21.2 & 14.61 & \textless{}0.010 \\
31–45 years & 64 & 25.6 & & \\
46–60 years & 72 & 28.8 & & \\ \textgreater{}60 years & 61 & 24.4 & & \\ \hline Education level & & & & \\ No formal education & 51 & 20.4 & 24.39 & \textless{}0.01 \\ Primary education & 66 & 26.4 & & \\ Secondary education & 72 & 28.8 & & \\ Tertiary education & 61 & 24.4 & & \\ \hline Income source & & & & \\ None & 83 & 33.2 & 18.23 & \textless{}0.001 \\ Salary & 90 & 36.0 & & \\ Multiple income stream & 77 & 30.8 & & \\ \hline Years in cattle farming & & & & \\ \textless{}5 years & 80 & 32.0 & 2.09 & 0.351 \\
5–10 years & 87 & 34.8 & & \\ \textgreater{}10 years & 98 & 39.2 & & \\ \hline Herd size & & & & \\ \textless{}10 & 76 & 30.4 & 7.38 & 0.025 \\
10–20 & 97 & 38.8 & & \\ \textgreater{}20 & 92 & 36.8 & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Note: The chi-square test shows the association between participants’ demographic characteristics and cattle-herd ownership. The \(p\)-value indicates the level of statistical significance of the association.  
\end{table} 
Table 1: Socioeconomic characteristics of cattle farmers. Table 2 displays the chi-square test results for farmers' perceptions of drought-related issues in small-holder cattle production. The analysis reveals a statistically significant difference in the observed and expected frequencies for the perception of \"Lack of water for livestock\". The chi-square value of 8.25 exceeds the critical value of 9.49 at a significance level of 0.05. Furthermore, the _p_-value of 0.004 is lower than the significance level, indicating a statistically significant difference.