Livestock A Pathway Out Of Poverty

"Published in association with The National Teaching and Learning Forum."

Good animal husbandry practices and animal health are vital for people living in poorer countries. This practical learning manual is a realistic guide for those who are responsible for training farmers in poor countries, taking into account traditional farming systems, existing inputs and resources, sustainable farming initiatives and advising on the right approaches to training. The overall aims are to improve the condition and health of livestock in poor countries and the lives of the people in these countries. This title is suitable for researchers and students in animal production, food se.

This book provides empirical evidence from Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique and from different production systems of the importance of livestock as an asset to women and their participation in livestock and livestock product markets. It explores the issues of intra-household income management and economic benefits of livestock markets to women, focusing on how types of markets, the types of products and women’s participation in markets influence their access to livestock income. The book further analyses the role of livestock ownership, especially women’s ownership of livestock, in influencing household food security though increasing household dietary diversity and food adequacy. Additional issues addressed include access to resources, information and financial services to enable women more effectively to participate in livestock production and marketing, and some of the factors that influence this access. Practical strategies for increasing women’s market participation and access to information and services are discussed. The book ends with recommendations on how to mainstream gender in livestock research and development if livestock are to serve as a pathway out of poverty for the poor and especially for women.

Launched in 2001 by FAO, the Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative (PPLPI) facilitates and supports the formulation and implementation of livestock-related policies and institutional changes that have a positive impact on the world's poor. To achieve this, PPLPI combines stakeholder engagement with research and analysis, information dissemination and capacity strengthening. This publication reviews major aspects of the livestock-poverty interface with the objective of identifying the conditions under which livestock can be an effective tool for poverty reduction; the interventions that allow livestock's poverty reduction potential to be unlocked, and the contexts in which they do so; and ways of facilitating sustainable implementation of these interventions.

The introduction and dissemination of improved dairy cow breeds in Uganda is arguably the most significant step taken to develop a modern and commercial dairy industry in the country over the last two decades. This study uses a nationally representative sample of Ugandan households to rigorously examine the impact of adoption of improved dairy cow breeds on enterprise-, household-, and individual child-level nutrition outcomes. We find that adopting improved dairy cows significantly increases milk productivity, milk commercialization, and food expenditure.