The objective of this study was to evaluate calving interval of smallholder beef cattle herds that participated in the North West Provincial Sire Subsidy Scheme in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district. The aim of the Sire Subsidy Scheme was to introduce performance-tested sires to smallholder beef cattle herds for livestock improvement purposes. However, there is a paucity of information on the reproductive performance of smallholder beef cattle herds that are undergoing livestock improvement. On-farm data were sourced from seven multibreed herds that participated in the Sire Subsidy Scheme between 2018 and 2021. Herd size ranged from 9 to 57 cows, and each herd was managed extensively on either a communal pastoral system (3 herds) or a private farm (4 herds), all under unrestricted breeding seasons. Improved herd management and the use of performance-tested sires on smallholder beef cattle attained days open and calving interval of 109.58 and 392.58 ± 4.72 days, respectively. Calving interval varied from 300 (minimum) to 783 days (maximum) with a mean (± SE) of 370.54 ± 6.25 days in 2019; 388.74 ± 8.42 days in 2020 and 409.05 ± 7.48 days in 2021. The observed median days open (87 days) and mean calving percentage (90.25%) were indicative of above average reproductive performance of smallholder beef cattle. Our findings are within the range of published results obtained from commercially managed herds elsewhere. These results provide new knowledge regarding the reproductive potential of smallholder cattle.Bareki, 2024 Vol 17 (1)