Role and Responsibilities of Livestock Sector in Poverty Alleviation

Sunil GamageFormer Deputy Director – Veterinary

Research

Permit me to ask you a question ??

• This building is around 70 years old• How long will it last?

A. 50 yearsB. 100 yearsC. 200 yearsD. 500 yearsE. 1000 years

What Our Rulers Did in the Past – 2000 bc to 1000 adPharaohs of Egypt Rulers of Ancient Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

Our farmers could grow food during the dry period

These systems lasted over 2000 years This is food security

Food Security Indicators from 1990/91 to 2010/14 World

South

Asia

Sri Lank

aAfric

aAverage dietary energy supply adequacy

%8.8% 3.8% 18.6

% 9.3%Share of dietary energy supply derived from cereals, roots and tubers

%-

10.3%

-10.4

%-3.3%-1.6%

Average protein supply

g/caput/day

14.5% 8.9% 18.8%

10.2%

Average supply of protein of animal origin

g/caput/day

29.2%

40.0%

36.4% 7.7%

Prevalence of undernourishment

% -41.9

%

-34.3

%

-28.1

%

-28.3

%Prevalence of food inadequacy

% -34.9

%

-25.3

%

-31.1

%

-26.5

%

Product Production

45 year grow

th

Annual

growth

Broiler

14,400 to 106,029 tons

640% 14.8%

Egg 19,453 to 110,753 tons

469% 10.9%

Milk141,080 to 324,805

tons 130% 3.0%

80% of the milk is imported Mutton

14,000 to 5,805 tons

-58% -1.3%Goat – most neglected livestock sub-sector

Beef 36,881 to 29,332 tons

-20% -0.5%

Pork 1,339 to 1,540 tons 15 % 0.3%Fish 100,000 to 450,000

tons350% 7.8%S

uccesses in the Poultry Industry

Progress of local production - 1970 to 2015

Goat – most neglected livestock sub-sectorSlide 3

Successes in the Poultry Industry• From a backyard industry , poultry sector has shown a

phenomenal growth and emerged as a dynamic industry.• Can be rated as the most successful agriculture enterprise• Boosted the animal protein availability• Egg and chicken meat became the cheapest animal protein

source. Rs 175 per pound – USA Rs 215• Supported private sector extension program by the

government Commodity based Accountability

Revolution in Maize production• 80% of maize is used for chicken

feeding• Only 20% requirement produced• DoA together with the private sector• Grown in lands used for human food

production

Family Poultry Sector – Backyard Poultry

•1985 – 35% of egg and 40% meat

•1998 – 5% from this sector

•Backyard Poultry development program

•Collection of genotypes

•Breeding for higher egg production

•Fitting the Feed resource base

•2008 – 15% egg and meat

Ruminants Detaching /Disintegration of Crop and Livestock

Production System1.1 Specialization of crop and livestock has increased

food production

1.2 Mixed farming sector has 95% of the Ruminants.

1.3 Decline in the number of agricultural holdings keeping livestock1.3.1 The proportion of mixed farming sector from 21% of the

agriculture land holdings (2001). This has gone down from 53% since the 1960s

Ruminants Detaching /Disintegration of Crop and Livestock

Production System1.4 Keeping livestock is important for crop farmers and

vise versa 1.4.1 As risk reduction strategy for farming community –

Increased income

1.4.2 Livestock are important providers of nutrients for growing crops in smallholder systems, and

1.4.3 Efficient disposal of crop by-products.

Mismatch of genes in dairy cattle

2.1 Introduced high producing taurine cattle and semen from Europe – Developed a crossbred cattle population. Bos taurus X Bos indicus

2.2 These performed better than pure Bos indicus breeds as expected,

2.3 Was unable to fuse into the traditional agriculture system.

2.4 They have more or less become a liability to the smallholder mixed farming community.

Policies securing basics & reducing vulnerabilityEnable the access to –Land - Land reform 1972, Landless & land

limited, grazing land –Water - for irrigation, domestic uses and

hydropower production. • 40,000-50,000 metric tons of fish on an annual

basis–Feed

• Grazing in tank beds &flood plain marshes –inundated during rainy season

• Dung -nutrient to river & tank aquatic system• Crop residue • Feed crops - Maize

Policies creating the conditions for growth• Access to animal health services

– Decentralized extension service• Access to credit, high-quality

inputs and other trade expansion facilities – Milk collection

• Access to market information - HARTI

Policies sustaining sector’s growth

• Regulating the livestock sector through –Disease management, –Quarantine, –Quality control and food safety

regulations

What We learnt from Africa• Science and technology

– Local plant and animal breeding programs introduced drought resistant sp and disease resistant sp those are traditionally farmed by small scale farmers.

• This meant that these farming communities had some food to fall back when their main crops fail, and start food production activities.

• http://science.sciencemag.org/content/327/5967/818

– Increased the types of items in the family food basket• http://www.mars.com/global/african-orphan-crops.aspx• http://www.cgiar.org/consortium-news/plant-breeding-academy-boosting-

africas-food-supply-with-improved-indigenous-crops/

– Famine early warning systems, weather reports were made available to the farming community

What can Sri Lanka learn from Africa

• Food distribution system– http://archive.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu22we/uu22we0b.htm

• Local food stockpiles – https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-

opinion-files/6718.pdf

• Regulations and drought coping strategies– http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Events/

DakAgri2015/Climate_Smart_Agriculture_in_the_African_Context.pdf

• Commodity based extension service