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Developed countries: livestock coming back to townResults of a survey in the USA, 2011, 134 respondentsreason for raising livestock, percent12134232frequency of meat eating, percent441244201510impact on neighbours, number of respondentscommunity buildinganimal soundsmultigenerationalengagementeducationnoise nuisancesmellfear of injury/diseasePLUCKANDFEATHER.COM5better food sourceeducationcommunity buildingcostecologyculturesince starting livestock keepingless meatmoresame as before0positivenegative“waste” in the streets. If people keep broilers ordairy cows to supply the formal or informal market,they often buy feed supplements or mix themat home. They may also purchase hay, straw orfresh lucerne (alfalfa) and bring it into town, oftenby donkey.How important are urban livestock? It is hardto tell, as it is mainly informal and often illegal. Inthe Republic of Congo, a study found that aboutone-third of the people in Brazzaville were engagedin urban agriculture. Nine percent keptlivestock, mostly poultry. In the 1980s in Kenya,almost 70 percent of the households in Kibera, thebiggest slum in Nairobi, were practising urbanagriculture. That included an unknown numberof animal keepers. Twenty years later, the houseshad become so densely packed that it was almostimpossible to grow crops. But poultry and pigs arestill kept even in very congested urban areas. Animalstake up less space than crops.Not only the poor keep livestock in cities. InAddis Ababa, the households with cattle have nineanimals on average. Many can even afford to hirelabour for grazing, feeding and other care. Thepoorer livestock keepers tend to have poultry, andkeep a few sheep or goats. For these families, consumingtheir own animals on special occasionsmay be their only chance to eat meat. This is importantnot only for their diets, but also for theirreligious beliefs and self-esteem.Interest in livestock keeping in urban areastypically increases when times are hard. In Kampala,Uganda, the number of urban animals rosesharply during political upheavals. In Central Asia,more urban residents started keeping animals afterthe Soviet Union collapsed. Livestock tend tobecome less important when economies recoverand household incomes increase. This also occurredin European cities after the Second WorldWar. Therefore, a rise in urban livestock may bea sign of economic distress and political crisis. Atsuch times, keeping livestock – and indeed urbanagriculture in general – is a survival mechanism,primarily to provide food.MEAT ATLASIn the developed world, livestock keeping inurban areas, in the broad sense of the term, includesbeekeeping, fish farming and using earthwormsto produce compost. Its main purpose is togenerate income and provide a meaningful occupation.According to social researchers, it can helpboost the self-confidence and desire to learn andwork of young people living in the slums of big cities,such as New York.However, when animals and people live closetogether in cities, the risk of disease increases. Thisis by no means limited to avian flu. Many humandiseases, such as influenza, smallpox, plague,measles, tuberculosis, and cholera, evolvedthrough the interaction of people and livestockover the last 10,000 years. Good veterinary care reducesthe incidence of animal disease and the riskof transmission to humans.Why should it be allowed to keep livestockin cities? During economic crises, it is an importantcoping strategy. It turns waste into aresource and produces valuable meat, milkand eggs. It raises the standing and self-esteemof poor people in societies in which animals playan important cultural role. And it is crucial for thesocial security of vulnerable groups such as the elderlyor households headed by women.Rural and urban populationPopulation in developed and developing world, millionsrural, developingurban, developingrural, developedurban, developed5,0004,0003,0002,5002,0001,5001,00050001950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030WORLD BANK, FAOKept onroadsides, unusedland and backyards,animals incurfew costs51