Animals’ Role in Socio-Economic Development of a Region: Focus on Livestock Systems
Table of Contents
Introduction
The socio-economic development of rural regions in the developing world is deeply intertwined with livestock systems.
Agriculture remains the backbone of rural livelihoods, and within it, livestock contribute significantly not just to income, but to nutrition, culture, and ecological balance.
This excerpt from the thesis explores the complex, multi-dimensional roles that livestock play across developing economies, emphasizing their economic, cultural, and ecological contributions.
From being “living banks” for the rural poor to serving as engines of growth in modern peri-urban economies, livestock production touches nearly every aspect of rural life.
Students, researchers, policymakers, and environmentalists will find valuable insights in this in-depth analysis of livestock’s diverse functions—from meat and milk to traction and manure. Special attention is given to how different livestock systems—from grassland-based pastoralism to intensive, landless poultry farms—impact livelihoods and sustainability.
This excerpt will be especially relevant for those interested in the intersection of rural development, agricultural policy, environmental sustainability, and food security.
Article
CHAPTER-X
ANIMALS ROLE IN SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF A REGION
Global Importance of Agriculture and Livestock
“Globally, agriculture provides a livelihood for more people than any other industry.
Growth in agricultural production and productivity is needed to raise rural incomes, to support the increasing numbers dependent on the industry and to meet the food and raw material needs of the faster growing urban populations.
Enhancing agricultural productivity contributes to industrial growth by providing cheap labour, capital investment, foreign exchange and markets for manufactured consumer goods.
Agriculture has a key role in reducing poverty since most of the world’s poor live in rural areas and are largely dependent on agriculture, while food prices determine the cost-of-living for the urban poor.
About half of the total poor live in South Asia, and half the remainder in Sub-Saharan Africa, with smaller numbers in the rest of the developing world. The global objective, of halving poverty levels by 2015, is unlikely to be reached at current levels of assistance to agriculture.
Livestock provide over half of the value of global agricultural output and one third in developing countries. Rapid growth in demand for livestock products (LPs), in the developing countries, is viewed as a ‘food revolution’…”
Diverse and Changing Roles of Livestock
“Livestock are capital assets, produced in the past and contributing to future product output… Investment in livestock raises farm production through (a) extension of the area of land area that can be utilised, (b) diversification of the productive activity on a crop farm and (c) intensification…
Livestock production systems are broadly categorised into i) ‘grassland-based’ pastoralism and ranching ii) ‘mixed-farming’, either rainfed or irrigated, and iii) ‘landless’, mainly pig and poultry production systems…
Reproduction and growth rates are faster in pigs and poultry than in the ruminant species of livestock… Increases depend upon improvements in animal health, nutrition, breeding and management…”
Labour and Technology in Livestock Systems
“The ‘landless’ livestock production systems represent labour-using technology… Conversely, the use of animal draught power is labour-saving…
Mixed crop-livestock production systems are important as the source of the bulk of ruminant livestock production and the home of the majority of the world’s poor…”
Global Patterns and Regional Differences
“Landless livestock systems provide most of the world’s production of pig and poultry meat… These products make up two thirds of all meat production world-wide, while, in the developing countries, poultry meat now accounts for more than half of all meat produced.
Inter-regional differences in livestock production systems depend upon agro-ecological features, human population density and cultural norms…”
Industrialization, Technological Change and Livestock
“Analysts have suggested that production systems intensify and evolve, from pastoral livestock keeping to specialist crop production… Industrial development also affects technological change in agriculture, in different ways…”
Ownership, Social Norms and Gender Roles
“Open access to pasture-land may lead to over-grazing and degradation…
The farm household is a unit of production and consumption. Property rights and transactions, within the household, are governed by local cultural institutions… Women rarely hold rights to land but may own small-stock such as goats or poultry or have rights to use the products…”
Markets, Trade, and Urbanization Pressures
“Development of market infrastructure and institutions is essential for economic growth… Peri-urban producers are at an advantage… Economies of scale in processing and marketing may be derived by vertical integration…
A transformation of developed country agriculture occurred towards the middle of the 20th Century… Change was slower in the developing countries, where use of animal draught is still common…”
Growth of Markets and International Trade
“Agricultural markets have expanded with the growth of international trade over the last 50 years…
Patterns of trade reflect international differences in comparative advantage… Tariffs, or taxes on imports, are imposed… Associated ‘dumping’ of low-priced surplus beef in West Africa, in the early 1990s disrupted local trade…
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) aims at promoting a phased reduction in trade barriers… Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, aimed at protecting human, animal and plant health, affect trade flows…”
Livestock and Development Theory
“Todaro and Smith (2011) define the term Development as the process of improving the quality of all human lives and capabilities…
Livestock is vital to the economies of many developing countries. Animals are a source of food, more specifically protein for human diets, Income, employment and possibly foreign exchange… Livestock provide over half of the value of global agricultural output and one third in developing countries…”
Source Citation
Researcher: Pratima Kumari, S.
Thesis Title: Copper toxicity on fry of fresh water edible fish pangasianodon hypophthalmus
Supervisor: Not specified
University: Not specified
Year of Completion: Not specified
Exit Page Number: 368
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