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- 1. Livestock Thematic Papers Tools for project design Overview The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in the rural areas of developing countries. Working with poor rural people, governments, donors, non- governmental organizations and other partners, IFAD is one of the largest sources of development financing for agriculture and rural development in many developing countries. Activities related to livestock development – such as the transfer of technology, training, credit for restocking, animal health services delivery, feed and breed improvement, and best husbandry practices – are considered core aspects of the majority of IFAD programmes and projects.1 Since starting operations in 1978, IFAD has provided some US$690 million for livestock development activities. The primary beneficiaries are poor livestock keepers, particularly those who are economically or socially at risk and politically marginalized. This includes rural women, youth, landless poor people and people for whom animals such as poultry and small ruminants provide, at most, subsistence or a minimum augmentation of daily nutrition requirements. Investing in livestock development for poverty reduction Driven by population increases, urbanization and economic growth, livestock production is one of the fastest-growing agricultural subsectors in developing countries, accounting for 30 per cent of the agricultural GDP2 and spurring a demand for animal-source food products that is likely to double in the next 20 years.3 Livestock production contributes to the sustainable livelihoods and security of more than 800 million poor smallholders. It provides natural capital such as meat, milk, wool, hide, rangeland and pasture; financial capital such as cash, savings, credit, insurance, gifts and remittances; and social capital such as traditions, wealth, prestige, identity, respect, friendship, marriage dowries and festivities. It also provides traction for about 50 per cent of the world’s farmers and is a source of organic fertilizer for most of the world’s croplands, converting waste products into inputs to the production of high-value food. Even though livestock keeping offers promising opportunities to combat poverty, there is a significant risk that livestock sector development will exclude smallholder farmers. Access to the 1 IFAD. 2008. Livestock strategy paper. Rome: IFAD. 2 World Bank. 2009. Minding the stock: bringing public policy to bear on livestock sector development. Washington: The World Bank. 3 Delgado, C. et al. 1999. Livestock to 2020: the next food revolution. Washington/Rome/Nairobi: IFPRI/FAO/ILRI.
- 2. fast-growing and more remunerative markets for developing countries and for the social well- meat and milk products is dependent on being of poor people at both the individual and meeting higher quality and safety standards, the village level. which can add value and generate employment The specific objective of the thematic papers along the supply chain. But meeting these is to focus the efforts of development projects standards also involves higher costs and tends and policies on poor livestock keepers, men and to favour large-scale production, excluding women, with the aim of helping them to: smallholder farmers. If smallholder farmers are • secure assets to be able to take advantage of emerging market • improve the productivity and competitiveness demand, they will require access to basic of livestock products with an efficient and services, assets and technologies such as sustainable use of natural resources veterinary care, roads and grazing lands, as well • take advantage of market opportunities as the support of development projects and • mitigate the effects of volatile food prices policies that take their needs into account. • create enabling conditions for stable incomes and sustainable livelihoods so they Livestock Thematic Papers can gain control of their own social and The Livestock and Farming System Team has economic development. created the present kit – Livestock Thematic Papers: Tools for Project Design – as a practical The papers provide recommendations for project tool for development practitioners, with the design on critical issues for rural development expectation that it will be useful to IFAD country and also possible responses and actions to programme managers, and will lead project encourage the socio-economic empowerment of designers and policymakers to define appropriate poor livestock keepers. They reflect IFAD’s livestock development interventions. We hope commitment to developing a sustainable livestock that it will enhance IFAD’s comparative sector in which poor farmers and herders might advantage with respect to rural poverty reduction have higher incomes, and better access to assets, and livestock-related issues. services, technologies and markets. The kit contains the following papers: 1. IFAD’s Livestock Position Paper Acknowledgments 2. Emergency livestock interventions in crisis The Livestock Thematic Papers were proposed, and post-crisis situations coordinated and supervised by Antonio Rota, IFAD 3. Gender and livestock Senior Technical Adviser on Livestock and Farming 4. Integrated crop-livestock farming systems Systems, who wrote them in collaboration with 5. Livestock and climate change Chiara Calvosa, Delgermaa Chuluunbaatar and 6. Livestock and land Silvia Sperandini, with significant contributions 7. Livestock and pastoralists from key experts and reviewers, who are These materials can be found 8. Livestock and rural finance acknowledged throughout the kit. on IFAD’s website at 9. Value chains, linking producers to the markets. Financial support for the kit was provided by a www.ifad.org/lrkm/index.htm grant from the Initiative for Mainstreaming Contact The overall purpose of the papers is to help Innovation – Innovative Knowledge Management Antonio Rota bring livestock interventions to the forefront of Approach for Technical Advisory Services – Senior Technical Adviser on Livestock and Farming Systems development operations, as a key instrument for funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for Technical Advisory Division poverty reduction, for the economic growth of International Development. Tel: +39 06 5459 2680 a.rota@ifad.org The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Fund for Agricultural Development of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The International Fund for Agricultural Development designations “developed” and “developing” economies are intended for statistical convenience and do Via Paolo di Dono, 44 not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the 00142 Rome, Italy development process. Telephone: +39 06 54591 November 2009 Facsimile: +39 06 5043463 This publication or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission from IFAD, provided that E-mail: ifad@ifad.org the publication or extract therefrom reproduced is attributed to IFAD and the title of this publication is www.ifad.org stated in any publication and that a copy thereof is sent to IFAD. www.ruralpovertyportal.org