1. Animal Agriculture in
Developing Countries
Mark Tapper
Agron 342
Summer 2009

2. Contributions of Livestock
Production in Developing Countries
 Fiber (Wool, Leather)  Rural, farming culture and
 Fertilizer social network
 Food  Livestock are adaptable
 Various feedstuff,
 Savings account =
Reproducible Assets climates, environments,
housing
 Cash – Buying Power
 “In India livestock
 Sustainable use of natural
resources
contributes about 30%
 Graze un-farmable land
of the total farm
output, and 80% of  Relatively low input
livestock products come costs
from small farmers with  Sustainable cycle
3-5 animals and less  Feed animals crop
than 2 hectares of
land.” residues, animals
fertilize croplands
 Transportation
 Employment
http://www.forum-ue.de/58.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=208&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid
%5D=43&cHash=9805659135

3. Organic Agriculture
 Diverse
 Global
 Focus on economic, environmental, and social sustainability
 Land-based livestock systems can have more emphasis on:
 Species-specific animal husbandry
 Housing
 Nutrition
 Breed selection
 Stockmanship
 Can have lower variable costs and more premium prices = Higher
profitability
 Other types of livestock agriculture, specifically in developing
world:
 Solely Livestock
 Mixed/Diversified Production
 Any/all livestock systems can be ‘organic’ (‘natural’ production – without use
of chemical or other un-organic production practices)
http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?
requester=gs&collection=TRD&recid=200807350063737CE&q=&uid=787414183&setcookie=yes

4. Biotechnology Opportunities in
Developing Countries
 “any technique that uses living organisms or substances
from such organisms to make or modify a product, to
improve plants or animals or to develop micro-organisms
for specific purposes.“
 Increase agricultural productivity
 Protect the environment (Less chemicals)
 Improve health (humans and animals)
 Considers production constraints (available land, costs,
knowledge)
 Developing countries = highest improvement potential
 Setbacks: Expensive, lack of knowledge/know-how,
hard to implement new technology (culturally, socially)
http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/ilri/x5473b/x5473b05.htm

5. Challenges for Livestock Production
in Developing Countries
 Increasing human population – more demand
 Market prices
 Competition with developed countries’ products on
global market
 Sustainability (economic, and social)
 Environmental issues
 Soil erosion
 Land use and competition with crops
 Climate change
 Temperature changes
 Changes in rainfall patterns
 Production issues
 Productivity and efficiency
 Health and welfare
 Feed availability and prices
 Knowledge (production, marketing)

6. Population
 “Before the dawn of agriculture, the
hunter–gatherer lifestyle supported about
4 million people globally. Modern
agriculture now feeds 6,000 million
people.”
 “By 2050, global population is projected to
be 50% larger than at present and global
grain demand is projected to double.”
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v418/n6898/full/nature01014.html

7. Issues affecting developing farmers
 Industrialized Agriculture
 “mass production of genetically uniform, high-yielding
breeds…needs huge inputs of energy and water,
industrially produced feed, antibiotics and growth
stimulants.”
 Decreasing biodiversity
 Bottom-dollar focus, not sustainability
 Developed overproduction ‘dumped’ into developing
countries
 Lower global prices
 Undermine local production
http://www.forum-ue.de/58.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=208&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=43&cHash=98

8. “Livestock Revolution”
 Increase in consumption of meat and milk = increased
production of livestock
 “By 2020, developing countries will have to import twice
as much grain just to feed intensively kept animals.”
 Potential effects on developing countries:
 Increased dependence on imported grain
 Industrialized agricultural production may squeeze out
subsistence farmers
 Drop in rural incomes and employment
 Increased rural migration to cities
 Decreased livestock biodiversity
 Intensive farming = increased manure –
environmental implications

9. Ethical Discussion
 More stress is placed on developing countries to feed
themselves, but industrialized agriculture has diluted global
markets with excess
 Natural Law – Strong (developed countries) dominate the
weak (developing world)
 Industrialized agriculture
 Categorical Imperative – Developed countries have had
success with mass production, therefore, EVERYONE should
produce the same way
 Utilitarian – Produce the most, fastest, and ‘most’ efficiently
without regard to more efficient smaller-scale subsistence
agriculture
 Autonomy – Developing countries should be able to make their
own decisions about their own agriculture
 Paternalism – developed countries = parent making decisions
for the developing nations (goes along with autonomy)

10. How can we help?
 Help people help themselves!
 Policies that allow/assist people own and manage their
own livestock
 Economic
 Credit – purchasing power
 Access to markets (local, national, and global)
 Knowledge/Husbandry
 Basic knowledge increases efficiency, animal health,
and maximized production
 Preventive measures (vaccinations and hygiene)
 Support of local cooperatives – competition for
subsistence farmers with industrialized agriculture
 “Supporting livestock production based on local
resources (including feeds, breeds, indigenous
knowledge and institutions) can make a major
contribution to eradicating hunger in rural areas.”
http://www.forum-ue.de/58.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=208&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=43&cHash=98
.

11. References
 German NGO Forum Environment & Development. “Livestock Production in the
South (leaflet).” 2001.
http://www.forum-ue.de/58.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=208&tx_ttnews%5BbackP
. Accessed on 5 July 2009.
 Kruska, R.L., R.S. Reid, P.K. Thornton, N. Henninger. P.M. Kristjanson. “Mapping
livestock-oriented agricultural production systems for the developing world.”
Agricultural Systems 77: 39-63. 2003. http://
citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.120.343&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
Assessed on 5 July 2009.
 Rege, J.E.O., “Biotechnology options for improving livestock production in
developing countries, with special reference to sub-Saharan Africa.” International
Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA).
http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/ilri/x5473b/x5473b05.htm. Assessed on 3 July 2009.
 Stockdale, E.A., N.H. Lampkin, M. Hovi, R. Keatinge, E.K.M. Lennartsson, D.W.
MacDonald, S. Padel, F.H. Tattersall, M.S. Wolfe, C.A. Watson. “Agronomic and
environmental implications of organic farming systems.” Advances in Agronomy. 70:
261-262. 2001. http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=
gs&collection=TRD&recid=200807350063737CE&q=&uid
=787414183&setcookie=yes. Assessed on 3 July 2009.
 Tilman, D., K. G. Cassman, P. A. Matson, R. Maylor, S. Polasky. “Agricultural
Sustainability and Intensive Production Practices.” Nature. 418: 671-677. 8 August
2002. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v418/n6898/full/nature01014.html.
Assessed on 5 July 2009.