scholarly journals Smallholder Goat Production in Southern Africa: A Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gracinda Andre Mataveia ◽  
Carina Visser ◽  
Alcides Sitoe
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Liquid Form ◽  
Traditional Production ◽  
Communal Areas

Goats play a crucial role in improved livelihoods and food security in Africa. Indigenous and locally developed types exhibit a wide range of phenotypic diversity, but are commonly well adapted to the harsh environment in which they need to survive and produce. They have various functions in communities in developing countries, from providing food security to being a liquid form of cash and playing a role in ceremonial occasions. The Southern African goat population exceeds 35 million animals, most of which are kept in small-scale traditional production systems in communal areas. These traditional production systems are characterised by informal, lowly-skilled labour, small numbers of animals and limited resources. Most goats are part of mixed crop-livestock systems, where different livestock species and crop farming compliment one another. The productivity and offtake from these animals are relatively low. Some goats form part of agropastoral production systems, with marginally higher management and resource inputs. Both of these systems are dependent on a high degree of variability where the keepers/farmers can exploit various resources as and when necessary. Goats possess a range of adaptive mechanisms that enable them to deal with harsh and challenging environments, making them the ideal species for use in these production systems. This chapter aims to provide background information on the current smallholder management practices of goat keepers in Southern Africa.

The tension between global GHG emissions of animal source foods, sustainability, and food security in Latin America and the Caribbean.

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (057) ◽  
Author(s):  
Constanza Gutiérrez-Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Livestock Sector ◽  
The Caribbean

Abstract The livestock sector faces an important challenge in the medium and long term since it must satisfy an increasing demand for animal products as a result of the increase in population and the world economy but safeguarding natural resources and at the same time minimizing the environmental contamination, especially the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributed to livestock husbandry. For Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), this becomes more relevant given the importance of the sector for the food security of rural communities, particularly for small-scale producers. In this manuscript, we address the main challenges of LAC in this context, from a global perspective that includes the demographic, economic, cultural, and environmental effects. The biggest global challenge for the LAC livestock sector for the coming decades is how to satisfy the growing human demand for animal protein in a sustainable way maintaining the food security of their communities. The efforts to achieve these goals require focusing on improving the efficiency of both animal husbandry and production systems. Therefore, it is necessary to implement technologies of sustainable intensification and it is urgent that those who make political decisions become aware of these issues.

scholarly journals The timing of agricultural production in hazard-prone areas to prevent losses at peak-risk periods: A case of Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandri Kruger
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Residual Moisture ◽  
Resilient Communities ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Hazard-prone areas in southern Africa experience many natural hazards, which include cyclones, floods and droughts. The severe climatic conditions of southern Africa have an especially large impact on the agricultural practices of small-scale farmers. These hazards should be mitigated to ensure more resilient communities and food security. This study mainly focuses on the timing of agricultural production in hazard-prone areas to prevent losses at peak-risk periods by adapting the agricultural cycle. This study focuses on the agricultural activities of small-scale farmers in Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique. A literature review is presented, and a mixed-method research design were followed to determine the timing of production followed by these small-scale farmers and its impact on production and food security. Although this study found that the small-scale farmers generally plant with the first rains, it is recommended by literature that early planting should be practised to ensure optimal production. It is also recommended that small-scale farmers should implement watermanagement techniques for dry periods, and when farmers practice late planting, the use of residual-moisture retention should be utilised as a mitigation measure. This will in effect ensure that the communities are less vulnerable during peak-risk periods by improving or ensuring food security. Therefore, adapting the planting and production time in these hazardprone areas at peak-risk periods could limit losses and increase communities’ resilience.

scholarly journals Spatial and seasonal patterns of FMD primary outbreaks in cattle in Zimbabwe between 1931 and 2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laure Guerrini ◽  
Davies Mubika Pfukenyi ◽  
Eric Etter ◽  
Jérémy Bouyer ◽  
Chenjerai Njagu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Foot And Mouth Disease ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Political Crisis ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Temporal Occurrence ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Abstract Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an important livestock disease impacting mainly intensive production systems. In southern Africa, the FMD virus is maintained in wildlife and its control is therefore complicated. However, FMD control is an important task to allow countries access to lucrative foreign meat market and veterinary services implement drastic control measures on livestock populations living in the periphery of protected areas, negatively impacting local small-scale livestock producers. This study investigated FMD primary outbreak data in Zimbabwe from 1931 to 2016 to describe the spatio-temporal distribution of FMD outbreaks and their potential drivers. The results suggest that: (i) FMD outbreaks were not randomly distributed in space across Zimbabwe but are clustered in the Southeast Lowveld (SEL); (ii) the proximity of protected areas with African buffalos was potentially responsible for primary FMD outbreaks in cattle; (iii) rainfall per se was not associated with FMD outbreaks, but seasons impacted the temporal occurrence of FMD outbreaks across regions; (iv) the frequency of FMD outbreaks increased during periods of major socio-economic and political crisis. The differences between the spatial clusters and other areas in Zimbabwe presenting similar buffalo/cattle interfaces but with fewer FMD outbreaks can be interpreted in light of the recent better understanding of wildlife/livestock interactions in these areas. The types of wildlife/livestock interfaces are hypothesized to be the key drivers of contacts between wildlife and livestock, triggering a risk of FMD inter-species spillover. The management of wildlife/livestock interfaces is therefore crucial for the control of FMD in southern Africa.

scholarly journals Context Specificity and Time Dependency in Classifying Sub-Saharan Africa Dairy Cattle Farmers for Targeted Extension Farm Advice: The Case of Uganda

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 836
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ahikiriza ◽  
Joshua Wesana ◽  
Xavier Gellynck ◽  
Guido Van Huylenbroeck ◽  
Ludwig Lauwers
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Dairy Production ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Productive Systems

Despite the huge potential for milk production, interventions to improve productivity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are barely based on specified farm classifications. This study aimed to develop robust and context-specific farm typologies to guide content of extension farm advice/services in Uganda. From a sample of 482 dairy farmers, we collected data on farmer socio-demographics, farm management practices, ownership of farm tools and facilities, willingness to pay for extension services, milk production, and marketing. Farm typologies were obtained based on principal component and cluster analyses. Thereby, of the three dairy production systems that emerged, small-scale, largely subsistence yet extensive and low productive farms were more prominent (82.6%). Farms that were classified as large-scale, less commercialized yet extensive with modest productive systems were more than the medium-scale commercial farms with intensive and highly productive systems. However, the later were considered to potentially transform dairy farming in Uganda. It was also predicted that the validity of our farm classification may persist until half of the farms have moved between clusters. The study gives new insights on dairy production systems in Uganda, which can be used to organize more targeted research on farmers’ extension needs for facilitating delivery of relevant and effective extension services and designing appropriate extension policies.

scholarly journals Emerging potato pathogens affecting food security in southern Africa: Recent research

2020 ◽  
Vol 116 (11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacquie E. van der Waals ◽  
Kerstin Krüger
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Soft Rot ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Management Options

Potato is a staple crop that contributes to food security and poverty alleviation in developing nations. Despite this, yields in developing nations are often unsustainably low, due to various biotic and abiotic factors that negatively affect production. Some of the most important biotic constraints are pathogens, many of which are disseminated by seed tubers. The lack of functional or formal seed certification systems in many southern African countries results in a continual increase in pathogen pressure. Short rotation cycles, poor plant nutrition and inefficient control measures exacerbate the crop production challenges faced by resource poor growers. In this review, we discuss five of the most important diseases on potatoes in southern Africa, namely late blight, bacterial wilt, soft rot / blackleg, powdery scab and zebra chip. Management options for small-scale growers are provided.

scholarly journals An approach to measuring food losses in the potato chain in Ecuador and Peru

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 46-65
Author(s):  
C. Velasco; M. Ordinola; A. Devaux
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Agricultural Prices ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
Food Losses ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Potato production and the related commercial and technological characteristics in the potato value chain, is one of the most important sources of income and food security of thousands of small-scale farmers in the Andes, who are increasingly challenged by trends of urbanization, volatility of agricultural prices, water and land scarcity, environmental stress, and weather shocks. Understanding food losses along the potato value chain and what role these losses play in food security has recently caught the interest of researchers and policy makers as reducing food losses can improve food availability without increasing agricultural inputs, use of land, or technological improvements on the production side. However, estimating food losses has proven to be a daunting task and efforts have yielded estimates that vary considerably. The methodology presented in this study distinguishes losses that are due to physical quantities from those due to quality and value. The results show that the most important losses occur in the production link and that the most important losses faced by small-scale potato producers occur due to crop management practices (before harvest), pests and diseases, frost and drought. Losses in production amount to an average of 95% of total losses in the value chain. This paper reports on the study conducted by the International Potato Center (CIP) through the CGIAR Program on Policy, Institution and Markets (PIM) lead by IFPRI, to evaluate the extent and sources of food losses taking as case study key potato value chains in Ecuador and Peru.

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