ICRISAT Archival Report 2006 - The seedlings of success in the ...

Output 7C. Environmental impacts of livestock intensification reduced during droughts and the dry season
by developing and promoting alternative feed and fodder strategies in crop-livestock systems
Output targets 2008:
Impact of livestock on natural resources described within different policy environments and agro-ecosystems, with
reference to biodiversity and primary and secondary productivity.
Need for dry season feed and fodder quantified and prioritized based on potential impact within agro-ecological
zones, through participatory selection of alternative feeding strategies
9C1. Crop-Livestock Systems Development in southern Africa
Farm surveys conducted in Zimbabwe in the early 1990s revealed a farmer preference for investing in livestock
enterprises in the country’s extensive semi-arid areas. While crops were commonly produced for food security (to
reduce the need to purchase grains), livestock were viewed as a more profitable investment enterprise. ICRISAT
hired a rangeland ecologist in 2003 as the coordinator of the Desert Margins Program. One former ICRISAT
economist joined the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) to lead their Targeting Research and
Development Opportunities Program. This created a basis for initiating a review of ICRISAT’s crop-livestock
systems development priorities in southern Africa. This has evolved into a growing program on crop-livestock
systems development. Underlying is the acknowledgement, that the potential of market-led technology development
in crop–livestock systems has not been sufficiently exploited by research and development.
i. Objectives
o Assess the strategic prospects for the development of crop-livestock systems for enhancing productivity in
southern Africa
o Develop and test strategies for linking livestock market development with investments in farm level inputs,
especially animal feed and fodder.
o Evaluate the impact of market driven intensification of feed and fodder management on farm income and
equity.
o Evaluate the impact of improved natural resource use and alternative feed systems on rangeland.
ii. Methodology
A comparative assessment of the crop-livestock systems development strategies in 5 countries of southern Africa
was conducted in conjunction with ILRI: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia. These were
chosen to reflect the variation in agro-ecologies and markets in the region. Country level experts were used to collate
existing data illustrating the recent (last 20 years) trends in number, production/productivity, demand for livestock
products and support to the sector as well as country specific challenges and opportunities. Results from this
analysis indicated a clear role for further research and development in the livestock sector in the region. Beef
production is largely stagnant while the growth in the number of goats in the region offer interesting opportunities
for small scale keepers to enter in the growing regional demand for livestock products. Increased production is
hampered by inputs and support services especially related to animal feed to maintain production during the dry
season.
A post-doctoral scientist (livestock farming systems development) was hired to initiate a more detailed assessment
of the evolution of crop-livestock systems in the SAT of Zimbabwe, focusing on market-led technology
development in dry season feeding of livestock. A collaborative (including NARS and NGOs) baseline diagnosis of
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