Livestock provides not only food for the producers, but also a range of other products which could be sold or consumed by the livestock owner to provide nutrition, income, traction and fuel. The major products of livestock include draught power, meat, milk, eggs, manure which is used as fertilizer or fuel, feathers, fibre, hides, and horns. In addition to these products livestock serve as an asset and may provide a reserve that can be converted to cash in times of need.
Livestock production and its role in food security
Growing and selling livestock enables the poor rural families (in particular women) to enter the cash economy. In this way, livestock production provides increased stability in income for the family without disrupting other food producing activities.
The majority of livestock in the countries studied are kept by smallholders, with each producer owning a small number of animals. Specific areas are not set aside for grazing or fodder production but livestock are fed on crop residues. They are "opportunistic feeders." In most cases, feeding his livestock does not cost the farmer anything. Their diet is mostly made up of residues from the farmer's own crops, and the livestock graze and scavenge on common or waste land. Small scale producers do not feed their livestock with food that is otherwise used for human consumption.
In contrast to the small scale producer, commercial production is generally intensive and based on imported livestock feeds. This situation differs from the mountainous areas in Vietnam where land could be set aside for grazing.
Outputs |
Valuation method |
Quantity produced |
Value per unit (taka) |
Total value of prod'n (taka) |
Proportion of total prod'n |
Power |
hire/day |
96,027,120 |
160 |
15,364,339,200 |
0.22 |
Milk |
price/litre |
806,000,000 |
19 |
15,314,000,000 |
0.22 |
Meat |
price/kg |
151,500,000 |
70 |
10,605,000,000 |
0.15 |
Hides |
price/hide |
757,500 |
500 |
378,750,000 |
0.01 |
Manure |
price/kg |
7,825,125,500 |
3.75 |
29,344,220,625 |
0.41 |
Total (taka) |
71,006,309,825 |
Livestock produced under the prevailing small scale conditions in the region have a low level of productivity. This is partly because the diet is generally at or below maintenance levels, and all of the food is used for maintenance rather than production of livestock products. This is demonstrated in the case of large ruminants in Bangladesh where dung is the most valuable output from these animals (Table 1).
In most cases livestock are an integral part of the system of sustainable mixed farming. This is true in Vietnam with the VAC system (Figure 12). This system enables farmers to make maximum use of outputs such as crop residues and animal manure which are often considered of low value.
Figure 13. Livestock in sustainable farming, example of VAC system in Vietnam
In Bangladesh the system of production is less integrated. The maximum value is not necessarily gained from all outputs of cattle production (Figure 14).
Constraints to small-scale livestock production in Asia
Problems in increasing livestock production were almost similar for the countries under study. The most significant constraints are nutrition, animal health, animal productivity/genetic make-up of the animals, extension of information provision of finance to small scale producers, and marketing
The provision of adequate nutrition to livestock is a major problem in the region. However, considerable information on alternative feed resources is available and there is a need to extend this information to livestock owners. Any information should include production benefits derived from alternative feeds and appropriate feeding regimes.
Figure 14. Cattle production in Bangladesh
A slight increase in feed intake through the provision of supplementation has been noted to lead to large increases in production. For example, supplementary feeding of indigenous cattle by smallholders in Bangladesh increased milk yield from 1 litre per day to 5 litres per day. It is important to note that this change took place without any change in the genetic make up of the animals.
Livestock health is a limiting factor to production. While the specific disease cited varied between countries, it was noted that a major problem was the low level of knowledge and understanding of livestock producers of the benefits of disease control. However, even those aware of the benefits had limited access to appropriate vaccines and therapeutic drugs.
In some situations cooperatives and non government organizations (NGO's) have provided limited training and assisted in organizing vaccination of stock. Milkvita in Bangladesh conducts a vaccination programme for dairy cattle against foot and mouth disease. No doubt its aim is to protect its milk supply, but its assistance is invaluable in the livestock industry in the country. In another example, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) has trained people who serve as vaccinators to livestock owners in their area. These vaccinators keep the appropriate vaccines and charge for their services.
As livestock owners become commercially based, they will become more aware of the benefits of disease control but will not be aware of the most appropriate methods for disease control. Government veterinary services are not tailored to meet these aims and there is a need for them to reassess their role in livestock health.
Animal productivity/genetic make-up of the animals
When animals are fed a low quality rations and are not protected from disease, genetic traits for survival are more important than those for production. With an increase in nutrition and health, large gains are made in productivity. Improvements in production traits only become important once certain conditions in health and nutrition are met and production levels reached. These conditions vary between species.
The collection, organization and distribution of information is important in successful livestock development. Most farmers in the region are smallholders. As each country has a large number of farmers, it would not be possible for agencies to have regular contact with each farmer. In this situation, it would not be cost effective to provide smallholder farmers with extension service. Instead it would be more appropriate to base the service at the community level.
Many agencies have contact with farmers, in particular NGOs which are involved in rural development. The provision of extension material and technical support to these agencies would provide a more effective method of extension.
Livestock in sustainable agricultural production
The role of livestock in the VAC system in Vietnam is shown in Figure 13. In this situation, livestock produce outputs which are used or sold by the farmer utilising inputs produced on the farm.
Livestock can have a variety of effects on the environment. The significance of these effects depends on the use of livestock by man rather than in any specific action of livestock.
Where land has become severely degraded, livestock can play a role in the rehabilitation of that land. As degraded land is being rehabilitated, it can be grazed at low intensity for weed control, thereby serving three purposes: (1) it provides food for the livestock; (2) their cropping of weeds preserves soil moisture; and (3) livestock dung contributes to soil fertility during the rehabilitation.
Effects of intensive livestock production systems on the environment
Intensive systems require large amounts of water and produce considerable quantities of manure in a small area of land. The effect of this waste on the environment can be negative or positive, depending on the use to which it is put. In areas with high human population, the animal waste adds to the large amount of human waste if not used. Because the aim of intensive industries is usually to improve profit margins, environmentally friendly and sustainable practices may not be in the immediate interests of intensive enterprises.
Mechanisation which is encouraged in intensive enterprises reduces employment available to the community.
Increasing livestock production
Livestock owned by small scale producers in the region are producing at low levels. This is due to a combination of factors. The main factors are limited feed resources with animals fed a submaintenance to maintenance diet. Figure 15 describes a relationship between milk production and nutrition. In the situation, the small scale producer inputs are likely to be at point d and result in low production as most of the feed intake is used to maintain the animal. A relatively small increase in feed inputs would result in a large increase in production - for example an increase in feed inputs to point e would result in a large increase in milk production.
Figure 15. Milk production vs. nutrition
Increasing livestock production requires that all parts of the livestock production system be examined to determine the areas which would give the greatest benefit. An example of rapidly increasing the value of a livestock product is the use of a biodigester for the production of methane for household cooking and the production of fertilizer. This process effectively doubles the value of livestock manure to the family.
An individual family, community or corporation must have the following to be able to buy and raise livestock: (1) money to purchase parent stock; (2) land in which to keep them; (3) food to feed them with; (4) a market for their products; (5) a way to remove and/or recycle their waste; and (6) adequate hygiene and disease control (which is especially important in intensive production) and which could be on a property and regional basis
The form of development (intensive to extensive) and selection of stock type will depend on many factors: (1) need for a rapid return on the initial investment; (2) need for a constant cash flow; (3) availability of land; and (4) location of market and infrastructure (such as transport to market).
The presence of a large number of relatively unproductive animals can lead to the conclusion that livestock are a drain on the resources of a poor country. However, an alternative approach can be taken in which the productivity of these livestock can be rapidly increased with a small increase in inputs. In addition, more effective use of the outputs from livestock production through processing and marketing can lead to considerable increases in the effects of livestock production on the lifestyle of livestock producers.
In Bangladesh six-fold increases in milk production from indigenous cows have been achieved with small increases in inputs. This demonstrates the potential to dramatically increase production from livestock in the region.
Increasing livestock production and productivity
Small scale producers
Several common factors were cited as limiting livestock production in all three countries studied, namely: (1) nutrition; (2) animal health; (3) animal productivity (genetic makeup); and (4) extension of information to producers.
Most smallholders keep livestock with a low level of productivity. This can be greatly increased by improving the nutrition and health of these animals. Once the farmer purchases livestock for the purpose of increased production, he should consider their genetic make-up and modify production characteristics to take advantage of improved nutrition and health. However, unless genetic make up restricts production, there are advantages in using indigenous animals which have better disease resistance and ability to survive periods of poor nutrition.
This study did not delve into which species of animals should be targeted to increase productivity. Poultry involves the smallest investment for commercial production and therefore reduces the risk or effect of failure due, for example to disease outbreak. When production is low, gains could be large by increasing the level of nutrition of lactating cows irrespective of their genetic make-up. In this situation the need to increase production traits only becomes relevant once production reaches a relatively high level.
Intensive livestock industries
In Asia and the Pacific, intensive livestock industries rely on imported genetics, technology and feed. The margins gained by these producers are often small and require a high level of management skills and technical expertise to survive. In addition, intensive livestock industries often compete with people for food. This is because the use of by-products and waste products does not allow the rapid growth that is associated with these industries.
Increasing the value of livestock production
The value of livestock production to small scale producers can be increased by: (1) providing markets and market access; (2) effective processing of product, and (3) increasing the quality of the product.
Animal welfare and food security
Improving the nutrition and health of livestock in rural areas would provide many positive benefits for animal welfare. Many animals are now kept under poor conditions and are often underfed and poorly cared for. Once the animals become productive, they become of greater value to the owner and provide an income that can be increased by better feeding and health care.