Many farmers across rural Africa depend on their livestock for survival. Whether animals such as chickens, goats, pigs and cattle are used as a primary source of household food or as income from the sale of animal by-products, they represent an important asset to many families throughout the continent.

This reality, coupled with the fact that demand for animal protein continues to increase in sub-Saharan Africa due to population growth and a rising middle class, defies the trend of a sector that is often neglected when it comes to targeted investments. Yet the data shows us that this may indeed represent a missed opportunity.

In a study commissioned by the Livestock Data Innovation in Africa project, an initiative co-implemented by the World Bank and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, there is ample evidence that taking a close look at the livestock sector in a country like Tanzania, for instance, can reveal many interesting facts about investment gaps, potential benefits, and overall social impact.

Some of the most revealing findings of the Livestock and Livelihoods in Rural Tanzania study, which is a based on national survey conducted in 2009, are about the contribution of the livestock sector to the economic growth of the country, productivity of the sector itself and gender differences in terms of livestock ownership and access to input and markets.