This paper investigates the factors associated with private sector smallholder livestock and the associated income of the poor in the Indian States of Andhra Pradesh. The data used are drawn from the Livelihood Options Study led by the Overseas Development Institute, London, specifically the Census Survey 2001/2 and Panel Survey of early 2005. Poorer households depend disproportionally on livestock. Important changes were noted; the average size of any single species declined considerably in the five year period beginning from 1996/7, the number of farms keeping the species rose in the 1996/7 to 2001/2 period but dropped in the recent 2001/2 to 2003/4 period. The poorer households kept fewer small ruminants and poultry in the latter period but richer households kept more. This might suggest that the technology is shifting towards what the better off can afford like the intensive poultry keeping, and that they have better access to certain resources such as crop residues. On the other hand, policies such as the ban on grazing by goats will also have affected the poor more since they rely on open-grazing methods. Farmers identified shock/stress variables and natural environment as important for the decrease in livestock population. Livestock act as a very real means of smoothing income by allowing debts to be repaid, farm inputs and medical treatment to be purchased, and dowry to be paid. More than 22% of the farmers mentioned disease problems as a cause of the decline in livestock population. This problem needs to be addressed, possibly through public-private partnership arrangements as are being tried in other countries.

This article discusses major issues that confront attempts to introduce participatory methodologies into livestock production research, based on experiences during two projects in East Africa, and interviews with researchers and others in the region. The extent to which research can be participatory is strongly influenced by the institutional contexts in which it is carried and used, and some of the institutions involved are briefly surveyed. The article then discusses conceptual issues; including the notion of degrees of participation, the underdevelopment of participatory research in livestock compared to crop science, and the reluctance of existing livestock science to deal with multiple-output systems. The relations between participatory research, whole-farm research and livelihoods research, and the role of economic analysis are also explored. Methodological issues at various points of the project cycle are discussed, including: the need to tailor methods to agreed objectives, the role of “PRA toolsâ€, the specific problems relating to participatory trials with livestock, and the role of on-station trials. Institutional issues such as funding procedures and timescales, and reward systems for researchers are generic to all participatory research, but they are perhaps felt more strongly in the livestock sector where they combine with livestock-specific issues.

Access to timely and reliable information on livestock production and marketing is important in addressing the production and marketing aspects of the sector alongside access to financial services. This study analyzes the intra-household disparities in access to information and financial services among rural households in selected districts in Kenya. Specifically, the study compares women’s access to information on livestock production and financial services with that of men. Results show that informal channels such as farmer to farmer interactions were the key sources of information for livestock production and marketing. More men in male headed households received more training and were exposed to greater and varied topics than women. Men borrowed more from formal credit providers such as banks and co-operatives while women mainly borrowed from their community groups and neighbors. Analysis of determinants of savings by women revealed that women’s age and education positively and significantly increase their probability to save.

This paper uses household and key informant survey data from Ethiopia to: (1) understand the organizational structures that influence change in dairy production systems; (2) explore how local-level innovation system networks are functioning in the smallholder dairy production and (3) identify intervention points for strengthening innovation capacity. Results revealed that public sector actors are the major role players in the dairy production system despite their minor role in marketing linkages. We also found out that the private sector actors play peripheral roles in the network. Differences between innovator and non-innovator social networks were observed, with innovators exhibiting greater access to sources of production knowledge, inputs, credits and markets. Important institutions that could strengthen the stakeholders’ ability to identify, implement and adapt sustainable practices were not included in the processes. We recommend for policy guidance to reform the current agricultural extension system to address institutional and policy issues that constrain effective agricultural innovation system.

The study was carried out in June 2010 in selected villages of Amhara region of Ethiopia, representing three levels of market quality (high, medium and low), with the general objective of developing a systematic understanding of the links between market opportunities and productivity increases in livestock, with a focus on dairy production. The present report focuses on production aspects of dairy intensification in Amhara region. Findings showed that feeding of concentrates for dairy cattle was more prominent in high market quality sites compared to medium and low market quality sites, which indicated the level of feed intensification as the market quality improved. The contribution of grazing to total diet was higher for indigenous than crossbred cows. Indigenous cows were allowed to graze freely throughout the year and were expected to meet their feed requirement from grazing, especially in the wet and harvest (crop aftermath grazing) seasons, and supplemented during the dry season when the condition of grazing pasture deteriorated. Crossbred cows that demanded better nutrition for better milk production were only allowed to graze for a limited number of hours in a day when grazing pasture was in better condition. They were mostly kept indoors during the dry season to meet their feed requirements through stall feeding. The proportion of crossbred cows exceeded that of indigenous cows in high market quality sites but the reverse applied in medium and low market quality sites. Milk yield data indicated that there is room for increasing average productivity by improving management practices. Due consideration should be given to alleviate the problems in reproductive and milk yield performance to increase productivity and improve dairy-derived income.

The objective of this study was to compare the growth performance of two Nguni ecotypes and its crosses (Nguni x Landim) raised under the same feedlot conditions at the Posto Fomento do Impaputo, in southern Mozambique. Live weight feedlot data, from entry to marketing, were collected every fortnight between 1999 and 2009 from 453 oxen of the Nguni and Landim male ecotypes, as well as the crosses. Year-season of birth had significant effects on live weight at entry in the feedlot and at marketing age. Overall means for average age at entry in the feedlot was 31.8 ± 4 months, with the Landim being younger than the Cross (p=0.07). The average live weight at entry in the feedlot was 390 ± 42.5 kg, with no differences between ecotypes (p>0.05). Males born in dry year-seasons were heavier than males born in wet years-seasons (p<0.0001 to p<0.05).The average age at marketing of the Nguni ecotypes was 34.4 ± 5.08 months, with the Landim being younger (p<0.05) than the Cross. The average live weight at marketing was 446 ± 42.2 kg. The average live weights at entry and at marketing were higher in dry years-seasons than in wet years-seasons. There were no differences between ecotypes for average daily gain (0.89 ± 0.79 kg) in this study. Growth rates for the feedlot in the Nguni cattle obtained in this study were substantially lower than that obtained for the Ngunis in South Africa albeit they entered the feedlot at a much older age. This study demonstrates that in Mozambique feedlot industry is still underdeveloped with main constraints on feed resources, especially concentrates.

Two studies were conducted: the first study evaluated the production potential of indigenous (Tswana) chickens under an extensive free-range management system in the Gaborone agricultural region of Botswanal; and the second study was a survey of 25 randomly selected, commercial small-scale broiler farms in the Southern region of Botswana. Data were obtained using a structured questionnaire, interviews and direct observations of the birds and their management in the two systems. Study 1 involved 85 farmers. Ten different common supplementary feeds fed to the free-range chickens together with soil samples from where the chickens roost were collected. The feeds were: sorghum grain (Sorghum bicolor), maize grain (Zea mays), jugo bean, also known as bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea), tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius), millet grain (Pennisetum glaucum), melon seeds (Colocynthis citrullus [Citrullus lanatus]), Tswana water melon fruit (whole), sorghum milo, maize bran and sorghum beer residue (moroko). Mean adult body weight of the birds (n=713) was 2.2 and 2.0 kg for cocks and hens respectively. Average egg weight (n=188) was 48 g with an annual production of 34 eggs laid in 2 to 3 clutches. Production varied little among flocks. Sexual maturity was attained at about 6 months for females. The crude protein content of the feeds (as-fed basis) given as supplements was: maize grain 9.8%, millet 6.5%, sorghum 11.1%, tepary bean 18.5% and jugo bean 15.8%. All the feeds had a low level of calcium, for example 0.22% for melon seeds. The farmers kept the chickens for home consumption and occasional sales. In study 2, all the farmers practiced intensive housing on deep litter. The number and size of the poultry houses ranged from one to eight, with floor area of less than 100m2 to 1000m2. Numbers of chickens in each batch ranged from less than 1000 to 10000 with about 4 batches in a year. The broiler strains were Ross hybrid, Indian River and Cobb with 56% of the farmers keeping Ross hybrid. Various heating methods were used for brooding with more than 40% using gas as a source of heat. Vaccinations for either gumboro and/or Newcastle were used by 76% of the farmers. Feed was provided ad libitum in all instances.