Livestock Services and the Poor: A global initiative - IFAD

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LIVESTOCK SERVICES AND THE POOR
Poor Livestock Keepers
The analysis in Chapter 1 concludes that livestock can be an indispensable part
of the livelihood systems of many poor rural and urban populations in
developing countries, that it can play a crucial role in farming systems and that
it can decrease the vulnerability of households. However, current national and
global policies, as well as existing livestock services, often favour large-scale
production. The enhancement of livestock development alone will therefore
not necessarily contribute to poverty reduction. On the contrary, without
proper targeting, livestock development might contribute to the crowding out
of poor livestock keepers. The root causes of poverty and wider needs related
to health, education and housing in livestock-based communities must be
addressed if livestock interventions are to produce a widespread and
substantial reduction of poverty. Livestock services can contribute through
empowerment and increased income, as seen in poverty-focused projects
aimed at, for example, India dairy production and Bangladesh poultry.
Livestock services, however, will not be able to address all the issues connected
to poverty.
It is therefore crucial that inclusive and effective poverty reduction strategies
be adopted at a policy level, including ‘enabling’ policies that address the root
causes of poverty and enhance the development of pro-poor livestock services.
In addition, Chapter 1 provides an analysis of the role of livestock
development in the livelihoods of women and other vulnerable groups such as
HIV/AIDS-affected households.
A gender focus is necessary
Women play important roles in livestock keeping, and experience shows that,
in the provision of livestock services and the design of livestock development
programmes, a targeted approach improves the overall impact in terms of
poverty reduction. Efforts to secure women’s access to and control of
productive and natural resources such as land, livestock and credit are
strengthening women’s influence and social empowerment.