Livestock And Sustainable Nutrient Cycling In Mixed Farming Systems Of Sub Saharan Africa Technical Papers

Technical papers. Setting the scene. Interactions between animals and plants. Interactions between animals and soils. Interactions between plants and soils. Nutrient cycling in mixed farming systems. Modelling nutrient cycles in plant/animal/soil systems.

Conference summary; Summary of plenary sessins; Opening session; Interactions between animals and plants; Interactions between animals and soils; Interactions between plant and soils; Nutrient cycling in mixed farming systems; Modelling nutrient cycles; Closing session; Summary of focus group sessions; Introduction; Animal-plant interactions; Animal-soil interacions; Socio-economic dimensions in nutrient cycling.

Focusing on mixed crop-livestock farming systems of sub-Saharan Africa, this review brings together the available knowledge in the various components of the livestock and water sectors. Through an analysis of livestock-water interactions, promising strategies and interventions to improve Livestock Water Productivity are proposed. In the biophysical domain, the numerous interventions relate to feed, water and animal management. These are interlinked with interventions in the socio-political-economic domain. The paper identifies critical research and development gaps in terms of methodologies for quantifying water productivity and integrating different scales, and also in terms of institutions and policies.

The importance of livestock; Board of trustees; ILRI's donors in 1995; ILRI's addresses; A global livestock research institute; Moves towards a new institute; Major trends; Developing a medium-term plan; Broadening horizons; Collaboration and integration the names of the game; Live vaccine delivery systems for east coast fever; What is a live delivery system; Why live delivery systems; Progress to date; Attacking the schizont form; Where to now; Mice and cattle immune systems like chalk and cheese; Helper T cells in mice and cattle; Vital reminders; Interpreting the language of parasites; Starting from the parasite; Starting with the host; Promise for the future; GIS - a research tool and beyond; Controlling tick-borne diseases in Zimbabwe; Maximising human benefits, minimising environmental costs; GIS in production-system research; Tools for research and development; Women dairy farmers in Africa; Who should extension workers by talking to; Who does the work; What are the benefits of dairying; Implications for dairy development; Ploughing with cows feasible in East African highlands; Ploughing with cows technically feasible; Farmers test dairy-draft cows on farms; Farmers emphasise milk yields; Moving into new areas with new partners; Toxin-degrading microbe release multi-purpose tree feed potential; To much, too soon; Gradual adaptation; Another string to the farmers' bow; Biodiversity - the future of world food production; Knowing what to conserve; Knowing what has been collected; Knowing what it can do; Keeping it clean; The future of world food production; A library on a disc; A technology for today; ILRI's CD-ROMs; Early days; ILRI programme and project activities in 1995; ILRI senior staff in 1995; Post-doctoral associates and graduate fellows at ILRI in 1995; Publications by ILRI staff in 1995; Financial summary.