Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

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      Voluntary guidance tool for the sustainable enhancement of small-scale livestock productivity – Need, scope, nature, and development process", 

      With respect to Sri Lankan context;

      Small-scale livestock producers contribute more to livestock production than medium or large-scale producers in Sri Lanka. In recent research, we have found that women are the key contributors to small-scale livestock management and production.

      The majority of the small-scale farmers rear livestock under an extensive management system. There is a lot of potential at the village level for small-scale farmers to rear livestock. Availability of grazing grounds & water, low labour cost due to participation of family members, market facilities and low cost of production are the major potentials. Similarly, there is potential to popularize these livestock species among the women in the villages as many are facing issues with day-to-day household management due to the present economic crisis and lack of employment opportunities. It will also be beneficial as a source of nutrition and to overcome malnutrition issues among young children and pregnant women in addition to the empowerment of village women.

      There is a demand for poultry meat and eggs and also for live animal sales at the village level. Male farmers are comparatively more market-oriented than female farmers. However, the middleman influence is the main issue. Sometimes the market is in the city and the farmer has to incur a considerable cost for the transport of products to the village.

      Social issues within the villages sometimes act as a barrier to popularizing small-scale livestock production. For an example, even though the consumption of meat and eggs is popular among all three communities, the Buddhist community would challenge the slaughtering of livestock within the village and that will affect the Muslim and Tamil communities within the village. Because the (micro) livestock are mainly reared by Muslim and Tamil communities compared to the Buddhist community in most parts of the country. In addition, the smell of livestock (houses) is also objected to by some villagers discouraging the engagement of farmers in livestock rearing.

      Most of the small-scale livestock producers undertake livestock production as a secondary activity. Then the attention and care for the animal are less and as a result, the expected output may not be obtained. In many parts of Sri Lanka milk is collected only during the morning sessions. Thus, the farmers milk the cows only once per day. Further, the cost of concentrate feed ingredients is unbearable to the farmer. As a result, some farmers reduce their daily portions or avoid feeding concentrates totally. This condition was severe after the economic crisis.

      Further, the support from the stakeholder government institutes is minimal mainly for small-scale micro livestock (less popular livestock namely goat, sheep and indigenous poultry species such as village chicken, ducks and other poultry) producers. In contrast, non-governmental organizations are more of assistance in this regard compared to government institutes.

      Poor attitudes of some livestock farmers also affect the sustainability of the livestock sector. Some farmers are adamant about training on livestock-related activities. And always expects financial support from the institutes. Record keeping, dry cow feeding, and maintenance of sanitary conditions at the farm are not practised by the majority of these small-scale farmers. Feeding management is poor during the dry season compared to the wet season. As a result, a continuous production is not maintained. The main issue nowadays is the lack of attention from the veterinary officers and staff on these small-scale farms. Most of the time they do not visit these farms regularly and pay less attention to these farms.

      Government policies on the livestock sector also affect the sustainability of the sector. Policy on the importation of eggs severely affected the layer farmers and some have left the farming industry or converted to broiler farming.

      Thus, the above issues faced by small-scale farmers in developing countries should be considered when developing a voluntary guidance tool for the sustainable enhancement of small-scale livestock productivity.

      S.C. Somasiri (PhD)

      Department of Animal and Food Sciences

      Faculty of Agriculture

      Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka