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

goat and cattle management and marketing was done through household surveys in six districts. The surveys were
carried out from April to August 2005, covering the 2005/2006-production season and are summarized in Box 9C1.
Box 9C1. Unexploited agricultural growth: The case of crop–livestock production systems in
Zimbabwe. Sabine Homann and Andre van Rooye[0]n
Livestock is the most important source of cash for small-scale farmers in the semi-arid tropics of
southern Africa. However, with limited access to markets, farmers do not have the incentive to invest in
improved livestock management. Livestock production and off-takes remain low and farmers are
unable to realize the full potential of their herds. We believe that improved market access will be the
driver to increase technology adoption for income growth and poverty reduction.
In Zimbabwe, a recent baseline diagnosis by ICRISAT and partners found that cash income from goats
is crucial to cover day-to-day expenditures for food, education and human health. Cattle are more
important for draft power and milk, and support subsistence cropping activities. Major production
constraints include high mortality rates attributed to dry season feed shortages, particularly affecting
farmers with small herds.
An increasing demand for livestock products in rural and urban areas offers small-scale farmers
opportunities for market participation. However, the existing markets are underdeveloped, with high
transaction costs implying low prices and poor access to information for farmers. The challenge is to
sustain livestock production, develop more effective market facilities, and thereby increase off-take.
The potential of market-led technology development in crop–livestock systems has not been
sufficiently exploited by research and development. To have an impact on incomes and poverty, we
develop an innovative approach that would first evaluate local constraints in production and marketing,
and then test alternative livestock markets and management strategies, with a strong linkage between
private and public sectors.
The results of this initial work have contributed to the development of a larger regional program on livestock and
livelihoods in southern Africa (Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe). A proposal submitted to SADC, Implementation
and Coordination of Agricultural Research and Training (ICART), Competitive Regional Agricultural Research
Fund (CRARF) was successful in late 2006. ICRISAT will collaborate with ILRI and NARS partners to analyze
small-scale farmers’ opportunities in participating in livestock markets and alternative input delivery systems, and
the relationship between market development and farmers’ investment patterns, especially in feeding technologies.
Subsets of best bet feeding technologies will be developed, tested and demonstrated under local farming conditions
and multi-stakeholder participation.
iii. Main Findings & Policy Implications
During the past 25 years, livestock production has tripled and per capita consumption has doubled in most of the
developing world. The developing countries accounted for 80% of the growth in global livestock production. Yet
this “revolution” has largely by-passed southern Africa. Production growth in the SADC region has averaged less
than 1.5% and per capita consumption of livestock products is falling. In some countries and sectors, export growth
is being replaced by the pursuit of import substitution.
The failure of the livestock sector can be partly attributed to public under-investment. Though most farming systems
are characterized as mixed crop-livestock enterprises, agricultural investment programs tend to emphasize crop
production – even in the extensive systems and drought prone semi-arid regions. Furthermore, livestock policies
have historically emphasized the pursuit of beef exports to Europe. The commercial sector has breeding and feed
systems that meet European quality standards and veterinary controls to meet phyto-sanitary requirements. Public
breeding and livestock management support is often targeted to large commercial producers. Programs targeting
poorer smallholders emphasize disease control systems important to maintaining the national herd. Livestock
management support is limited. In effect, most smallholders are viewed as residual suppliers of low value meat to
the local market. The role of livestock is changing rapidly in most of the southern Africa with recent changes in
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