Summary
By the year 2005, urban dwellers will have numerically exceeded their rural counterparts for the first time in recorded history (FAO, 1998).
The demographic shift from rural to urban areas is largely attributed to in-migration of poor households from rural areas. However, the long-term implications of the trend are generally unknown. Little research has been done and overall, comparatively low levels of resources have been channelled to understanding the emerging needs of the urban poor. This is particularly true of the livestock sector.
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| Primary Relevance |
Low - High |
| Feeding and Nutrition |
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| Animal Health |
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| Commodities and Markets |
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| Other Husbandry |
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| Policy Relevance |
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Although livestock are a fundamental part of the livelihoods of many urban dwellers, not much is known about the nature of urban landless livestock production systems. Consequently, the first aim of the project is to perform a global overview of landless livestock production systems, which focuses on the characteristics, issues and constraints to livestock production in urban and peri-urban areas.
At the macro-level, urban livestock producers face a variety of institutional failures. The delivery of livestock services, both private and public is often non-existent and in many countries keeping livestock in urban areas is illegal. Social exclusion and fragmentation makes the dissemination of livestock knowledge difficult and few producers have access to basic animal husbandry and healthcare information. Consequently, the second objective of the study is to enhance institutional dialogue at the local, district and national level in order to create an enabling environment for livestock production. |
