This document comprises the proceedings of the workshop on Modelling of Extensive Livestock Production Systems, held at the Volcani Centre of the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO) in Bet Dagan, Israel, from 5 to 9 February 1985. The workshop was jointly organised by the ARO, the Centre for Agro-biological Research (CABO) and the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA), and was attended by 18 scientists from Ethiopia, Israel, Kenya, The Netherlands and UK.
The workshop originated out of a joint programme established in 1981 between the three centres already mentioned and the Institut du Sahel (INSAH) in Bamako, Mali. The purpose of the programme was to coordinate activities in modelling of primary and secondary production which were already taking place at the centres. The workshop presented the progress achieved in modelling at the centres, and desirable lines of development were discussed.
The workshop focused on four main items: modelling of primary production, feed intake, secondary production and management/economics of livestock production systems. This document contains the written presentations made at the workshop, and the summaries of the discussions of each paper. The general discussion at the end of the workshop focused on two items: the use of mathematical models and feed intake, the latter being a main subject of discussion and of concern to all participants.
We wish to acknowledge the ARO staff who assisted in running the workshop and organised two excursions, which were highly appreciated by the workshop participants. We also wish to thank Tezetta Gebeyehu who typed the proceedings, and Yalam Berhan Kebede who prepared the figures.
N. de Ridder (ILCA)
H. Van Keullen (CABO)
N.G Seligman (ARO)
P.J.H Neate (ILCA)
