Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure
7.3.
Swine on the Murphy farm in United States.
7.2
IMPORTANCE IN WORLD AGRICULTURE
Animals and their products contribute around 29 percent of the total value of
agriculture, forestry, and fisheries in the developing world. This varies from 19
percent in sub-Saharan Africa to over 38 percent in the Caribbean. This does not
include a substantial input to grain farming as draft animals. An estimated 250 to
300 million animals are used as work animals in the world.
1
Over 90 percent of the
work performed is in developing countries. Most animals in the developing world
are on small farms. Given the increasing costs of petroleum-based energy sources, it
is likely that the use of draft animals will increase. In contrast, animal producers in
Europe and North America tend to be large and specialized. There is very little use
of draft animals for farming. Most trade in animals is on the local scale, involving
fresh meat, milk, and eggs. International trade is primarily in processed animal products
Figure
7.4.
Numbers of farm animals in the world. (From Global Livestock and Health Atlas.
FAO.)
