Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 1.11
Summary of livestock systems, priority production systems, and major issues across
regions.
Type of
livestock
systems
Regions
Priority production system
Asia
SSA
CA
WANA
LAC
Major issues
Peri - urban / urban dairy
production
Peri - urban / urban poultry and
pig production
Feedlot (cattle or small
ruminants)
Goat and sheep production
Surface water contamination
1. Landless
/
/
/
/
Zoonosis
Waste disposal
Nutrient fl ows
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
Overgrazing
/
/
/
/
/
Integrated systems with
Annual crops (ruminants) and
non - ruminants plus fi sh)
integrated systems with
perennial crops (ruminants)
Beef and dairy production
Goat and sheep production
Food - feed systems
All - year - round feeding
systems
Nutrient fl ows / soil fertility
2. Crop based
mixed
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
Productivity enhancement
Intensifi cation and
specialization
Overgrazing
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
Cattle
Feed supplies / drought
strategies
Property regimes
Overgrazing
Trypanosomiasis
3. Agro -
pastoralist
/
/
/
Goat and sheep production
/
/
/
Sheep and goat production
Drought strategies
Overgrazing
Property regimes
Marketing
4. Range based
/
/
/
/
/
Notes:
(i) SSA - Sub - Saharan Africa, CA - Central Asia, WANA - West Asia and North Africa, LAC - Latin America and
the Caribbean
(ii) / indicates that both the production systems and animal species are the most important within the region.
(iii) Major issues
inter alia
are those that currently merit R and D attention. Across regions, the issues are broadly
similar as is the case with dairying. Dairy production includes buffaloes and cattle especially in Asia.
Source: Devendra, Morton, and Rischkovsky, 2005.
Advantages of Listening to Farmers
Associated with constraint analysis are the very needs and
aspirations of individual farmers. Listening to farmers is
central for development. Because participatory approaches
have many advantages, it is therefore important to invest
time and resources to address this issue. Research is mean-
ingless if it does not drive development, and development
programs are futile if they do not involve farmers as
researchers, community, extension agents, nongovernment
organizations, and development agents are necessary. In
this context, Eponou (1993) has suggested several ele-
ments to integrate agricultural research and technology
transfer. These include shared goals between researchers
and farmers, synergy, strong leadership for the whole,
decision making by consensus, accountability to clients
and policy makers, and considering farmers as partners.
