1 The participants in this group were: L Pearson de Vaccaro (Chairman); A D Irvin (Rapporteur); D DeRosa; P-C Lefèvre; J Maki-Hokkonen; N Ole Nielsen; P Osuji; B Shapiro
Indicators
Indicators under this task are presented in a uniform way across subregions (Table 1). Those taken into account include indicators relating to: demography; macro and trade policies; consumption; imports; exports; inflation; land availability and use; income indicators; impact of attitude to adoption of new technologies; trends in production systems; product yields and offtake rates; input sales for livestock; importance of livestock products in diets and elasticities of demand; structural adjustment programmes leading to opening of markets; and regional and international trade agreements.
Table 1 Development indicators for Latin America and the Caribbean
|
Subregion and country |
Urbanization |
Infant mortality ('000 live birth) |
Calories/day (per caput) |
Economic growth (GDP %) |
Inflation (1980-1990 %) |
||
|
Land area ('000 km2) |
% total population (1990) |
Growth rate (1980-1990) |
|||||
|
Central America and Caribbean |
|||||||
|
Costa Rica |
77 |
47 |
3.3 |
16 |
2808 |
3.0 |
23.6 |
|
Dominican Republic |
49 |
60 |
4.0 |
56 |
2359 |
2.1 |
21.8 |
|
Mexico |
1958 |
73 |
2.9 |
39 |
3052 |
1.0 |
70.3 |
|
Nicaragua |
130 |
60 |
4.5 |
55 |
2265 |
-2.2 |
432.3 |
|
South America |
|||||||
|
Argentina |
2767 |
86 |
1.8 |
29 |
3113 |
-0.4 |
395.2 |
|
Brazil |
8512 |
75 |
3.4 |
57 |
2751 |
2.4 |
284.3 |
|
Chile |
757 |
86 |
2.3 |
17 |
2581 |
3.2 |
20.5 |
|
Columbia |
1139 |
70 |
2.9 |
37 |
2598 |
3.7 |
24.8 |
|
Peru |
1285 |
70 |
3.1 |
69 |
2186 |
-0.3 |
233.9 |
|
Venezuela |
912 |
84 |
2.8 |
34 |
2582 |
1.0 |
19.3 |
|
Region |
20397 |
71 |
3.0 |
48 |
2721 |
1.6 |
192.1 |
Resource base
The region has a human population of about 450 million people of which more than 50 per cent live in urban areas. Cultivated land is equivalent to 0.43 ha/caput compared to a figure of 0.24 ha for the developing world as a whole. Grazing land is equivalent to 1.27 ha/caput against 0.49 ha. Crop output is US $ 144.8 per caput in Latin America and the Caribbean which is considerably higher than the US $ 92.9 for the whole of the developing world. At US $ 78.1 per caput livestock output is more than two and a half times more than the US $ 31.9 of low income countries as a whole.
Production
Milk production increased by 23 per cent from 1985 to 1990, rising from 19.9 million tonnes to 24.6 million tonnes and is now equivalent to 0.23 litres per caput per day. Increased output came, however, from a greater number of animals and not from higher production per animal. Milk production is lower than demand, the deficit being made up by imports valued at US $ 1000 million in 1990.
Meat production, mainly beef, in 1990 was 6.3 million tonnes equivalent to 13.9 per cent of world beef production. As for milk, production increases are mainly from horizontal expansion and not from animal productivity increases. Horizontal expansion of the meat industry means that the cattle population is gradually being displaced to more marginal land. Meat production exceeds local demand and allows considerable exports but regional consumption per caput shows a downward trend. There has been a slight increase in milk consumption.
Conclusions
There is extremely rapid urbanization of the human population. The rural population declined from 50-60 per cent in various countries of the region in 1960 to 10-40 per cent in 1990.
Large ruminant production is growing slowly but consistently. Productivity indicators per head, however, are stagnant and increased production is resulting from larger numbers of animals. Milk production has not kept pace with demand and urban growth. Relatively low land prices allow production systems to remain extensive in nature and there is little pressure to intensify in many areas.
Price policies have focused on urban consumers and this has been assisted by subsidized prices of imports from the European Union. Prices paid to consumers have remained low.
Privatization is proceeding apace.
Priorities must be set for lowland humid and subhumid (forests, grazing (llanos), cerados) and semiarid (northeast Brazil, West Coast) and highland (including hillsides and altiplano) agroecozones.
The goal is the sustainable improvement of the welfare of people and the environment, which can be described as ecosystem health. Purposes, outputs and activities were identified to fulfil this goal (Table 1).
Table 1 Purposes, outputs and goals needed to achieve the goal of ecosystem health
|
Purpose |
Outputs |
Activities |
|
Optimize contribution of livestock to national economy and welfare |
Improved farm income and rural development |
Conduct systems evolution studies |
|
Strengthen technology transfer |
||
|
Evaluate appropriateness of technology |
||
|
Evaluate macro-micro policy linkages |
||
|
Improved health and welfare of rural and urban poor |
Assess determinants of intra-household welfare |
|
|
Assess determinants of health and nutrition |
||
|
Evaluate macro-micro policy linkages |
||
|
Improved policy |
Interpret regional policy and trade |
|
|
Determine impact of international trade policy |
||
|
Conduct livestock sector policy analysis |
||
|
Conduct macro policy analysis |
||
|
Improve public information and awareness |
||
|
Strengthen decision support systems to inform policy |
||
|
Improve rural services and security |
||
|
Improve land use and resource conservation policies |
||
|
Improve land tenure policies |
||
|
Improved stock markets |
Improve efficiency of markets |
|
|
Improved conditions for research on crop/livestock systems |
Support appropriate research facilities at strategic locations |
|
|
Ensure adequate funding for infrastructure, personnel and research and support costs |
||
|
Increase livestock productivity |
Optimized feeding strategies |
Increase efficiency of use of fibrous foods |
|
Improve understanding of agronomy and physiology of appropriate plant species |
||
|
Improve feed quality of plants through genetic selection |
||
|
Improve technology of forage conservation |
||
|
Extend use of fodder trees |
||
|
Exploit agro-industrial by-products for feeds |
||
|
Reduced animal health constraints |
Farm scale |
|
|
Conduct epidemiological on-farm assessment of determinants of health and productivity ("sentinel farms") |
||
|
Community scale |
||
|
Provide low input animal health management services |
||
|
Encourage privatization of veterinary services |
||
|
Regional or national scale |
||
|
Assure effectiveness of laboratory services to support veterinary and animal science services |
||
|
Develop policies to protect indigenous stock from foreign or named diseases and chemical residues and thereby provide health standards to permit export |
||
|
International scale |
||
|
Develop means to control high priority diseases where indigenous resources are inadequate and advanced research institutes are not involved |
||
|
Develop GIS methodology to detect and monitor environmental indicators relevant to disease, feed resources and natural resource conservation |
||
|
Selected, improved and appropriate species/breeds |
Evaluate genotypes (biologic and economic) for use in various production systems |
|
|
Connect genetic improvement programmes to reproduction (e.g. AI) services |
||
|
Select and improve predominant populations |
||
|
Formulate national policies on genetic improvement for sustainable production systems |
||
|
Define genotypes which justify conservation |
||
|
Improved understanding of role of livestock in farming systems |
Develop/assess farming systems database within agro-ecological zones |
|
|
Define role of livestock in farming systems and develop models to monitor and predict effects of change |
||
|
Define productive exchange in livestock/crop systems |
||
|
Define social and cultural values of livestock |
||
|
Establish economic and social (including gender) activities |
||
|
Identify problems and priorities perceived by farmers |
||
|
Better training and education programmes |
Insert modern concepts of sustainable tropical animal science and problem based learning into university curricula |
|
|
Improve selectivity of information and transcontinental exchange |
||
|
Connect extension services to national research institutions |
||
|
Promote production and distribution of texts suitable for all users (universities to farmers) |
||
|
Increase exposure of teachers at all levels to practical problems and modern research findings |
||
|
Provide comprehensive continuing education to national scientists on animal production systems at farm and community scales |
||
|
Develop case studies for educational purposes |
||
|
Support graduate and post doctoral training with special emphasis on on-farm research |
||
|
Better product quality and improved processing |
Improve quality control for markets |
|
|
Improve on-farm quality control |
||
|
Improve food safety |
||
|
Maintain/enhance natural resources and biodiversity in livestock systems |
Maintained/enhanced soil fertility |
Enhance soil fertility by increased use of organic fertilizers |
|
Improve grazing systems in plantation agriculture |
||
|
Extend use of appropriate fodder trees and plants in crop/livestock systems |
||
|
Stabilized hillsides and reduced erosion |
Identify appropriate fodder trees and plants to stabilize slopes |
|
|
Reduced deforestation |
Promote sustainable use of land through legume based mixed farming practices |
