Study of sheep and goat production in tropical Africa, particularly animal numbers and production systems and regional geographic distribution & productivity potentials, w. outline of the need for future research on their potential performance under improved systems; data on adult body weight & production purposes; reproductive traits and mortality rates of small ruminants incl. price differences between mutton or goat meat and beef.

Despite emerging public and donor attention on women and agriculture, relatively few studies are based on gender analysis of sex-disaggregated quantitative data, particularly on women's involvement in marketing of livestock products. The objective of this article is therefore to investigate gender roles and processes of smallholder goat production and marketing in Inhassoro District, Mozambique, by analysing sex-disaggregated baseline data for women in male-headed households (W-MHH), men in male-headed households (M-MHH) and women in female-headed households (FHH).

Background

Excessive rainwater during the rainy season and lack of water in the dry season have been challenging the agricultural productivity and food security for rural communities in southern Mali. Various soil and water conservation practices were implemented in the past to improve crop yields and income, and reverse the effect of land degradation. However, none of these efforts looked into the potential use of shallow wells at a spatial scale to improve the agricultural productivity and hence the food security in the region.

Results

This training manual emphasises an integrated approach to research on small ruminants. Eleven modules cover the topics in an integrated approach to improving small ruminant productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. It starts with describing small ruminants in various agro-ecological zones in sub-Saharan Africa with emphasis on the prevailing production systems. The user is then introduced to the concepts and methodologies of farming systems research to better understand the needs of the smallholder farmer.

This workshop was conducted to assess the development prospects of India's livestock in the context of changing global economic environment and its impact on the rural poor, and to suggest politically feasible and practical strategies and approaches for pro-poor growth in livestock production. An additional aim of the workshop was to explore possibilities of enhanced research collaboration between the national agricultural research systems (NARS) and ILRI.

Smallholder dairy farming is seen as a viable and promising activity to support the livelihoods of cattle keepers in low-income countries. This farming system, characterized by small herds of improved cattle raised under zero-grazing, is proven to lead to better milk yields, but also to require more constant and demanding inputs and resources to sustain production. Moreover, endemic diseases and the poor knowledge on disease control by farmers, along with the limited availability of veterinary services, presents challenges for effective farming.

Ethiopia is home for a large and diverse livestock resources and favourable production environments. The vast majority of the rural population’s livelihood is partly based on livestock production. However, livestock production and productivity and producers’ benefits from livestock production are far below expectations.

This volume contains papers and abstracts of the First Biennial Conference of the African Small Ruminant Network. Ten papers deal with the Small Ruminant Production System and Policy; Eight papers on Small Ruminant Performance and Reproductive Physiology; eleven papers on Small Ruminant Reproductive Wastage and Health. Another nine describe and analyse feeds and feeding systems and there are 11 papers on Small Ruminant Genetic Resources and Breeding. Four papers on Small Ruminant Development in Africa complete this volume.

Pig production is thriving in Uganda and the demand for pork is increasing, therefore offering potential for smallholder farmers for increased income through pig production. A multi-disciplinary value chain assessment conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute aimed to identify constraints and opportunities for pig producers as well as shortcomings in the safety of pork products in three districts in Uganda. Tools from participatory research were used to assess pork consumption habits as well as knowledge, attitudes and practices on pork safety among 295 pig producers.