Report of working group 2: Research priorities for WANA mixed livestock-based farming systems
Working group members
Chair
S. Economides (Cyprus)
Rapporteur
M. Bounejmate (ICARDA)
Facilitator
S. Morzaria (ILRI)
Members
M. Afzal (Pakistan)
A.R. Al-Rawi (Iraq)
B. Boulanouar (Morocco)
D. Campbell (UK/Jordan)
G. Deichert (GTZ-Syria)
M. Demment (USA)
G. Freeland (UK)
S. Galal (FAO-Italy)
A.V. Goodchild (ICARDA)
C. Hilan (Lebanon)
P. Lhoste (France)
A. Nefzaoui (Tunisia)
H. Sungur (Turkey)
A. Swaid (Syria)
Definition of mixed crop–livestock production systems
For the purpose of the discussion, the group defined mixed crop–livestock farming systems as those in which crops and livestock are integrated through the growing of forage crops in the rotation and the importance of crop and agro-industrial by-products as animal feeds. Rangeland may be used but is a minor feed resource in the systems. In different parts of the region, sheep, cattle, goats or buffalo are kept in mixed crop–livestock systems, where they make an important contribution to the sustainability of the whole system. These systems may be subsistence or fully commercial.
The procedure followed by the group was
to identify problems with the mixed crop–livestock farming system in the region and the welfare of people directly or indirectly involved in these systems
to group these problems under the headings of feeding, diseases, breeding, farmer participation, housing, management, policy and environment issues, reproduction, and water
to identify the researchable issues using three main criteria:
- the need for the research and ease of transfer of the results
- potential to achieve results within 5 to 10 years
- extent to which the issue was found throughout the region
to assess the comparative advantages of different organisations in achieving results
to rank researchable issues into high, medium and low priority, assuming that resources are limited.
This process led to nine issues being allocated high priority. This number was considered to be still too many, and a further round of discussions selected five issues of high priority (IH) and a further three issues that do not need research but need the establishment of effective links to transfer relevant results from other organisations conducting research on the subject.
Problems and constraints
Feed resources and nutrition
The need to increase availability of feeds in the systems was identified as a major constraint. This constraint should be tackled by creating inventories of feed resources, improving the quality, quantity and conservation of existing feed resources, and examining the possiblities for using unconventional feed resources. The nutrition of animals can also be improved by altering the feeding strategy, using feed budgets and improving the management of supplementation.
Disease
Economic losses resulting from the main diseases in the area, including peste des petit ruminants, foot-and-mouth disease, brucella, other zoonoses, mastitis and rinderpest, have been poorly assessed. The epidemiology of the diseases and their interactions with nutrition need further investigation, to develop effective disease prevention schemes for the region. Farmers in the region do not usually have access to suitable user-friendly vaccines.
Breeding
Breeds in the region are poorly characterised. Their adaptation to the environment and their resistance to disease and parasitic infections have not been fully assessed. There is little infrastructure for animal recording, selection and breeding. Where the same breed exists in a number of countries there has been little or no co-ordination of selection and breeding programmes, and farmers have not been involved in setting objectives for selection.
Farmer participation
The group placed great emphasis on the importance of the social component of the systems in the region and its importance in the whole process of assessing constraints and opportunities, modifying systems of production and adopting new techniques. Although the participation of farmers was identified as vitally important at all stages of developing research programmes and applying results, there is still need for research on the methodology of working with farmers in both research and transfer of technology.
During the process of identifying researchable issues, a number of other problems and issues in addition to those discussed above were considered:
housing: the need to transfer existing knowledge
policy and the environment: soil erosion, farm and field size, subsidy policy and marketing
reproduction: Reproductive physiology of different breeds, particularly fat-tailed sheep, to assess their potential, the causes of poor flock fertility and effects of nutrition.
Reseach priorities
Feed resources and nutrition
Improving forage and fodder quality and quantity and identifying unconventional feed resources (IARCs).
Disease
Social and economic impact and epidemiology of diseases of regional importance and development of effective and cheap pen-side diagnostic tests.
Breeding
Establishment of national and regional breeding objectives, taking into account farmers’ objectives (IARCs, FAO).
Regional co-ordination of recording and infrastructure (IARCs, FAO).
Policy and the environment
Research on policy for effective delivery of veterinary and livestock extension services (IARCs).
Farmer participation
Development of research methods for improving farmer participation and extension, organisation of farmer groups (labour, household economics, gender, motivation of farmer or client, constraints and opportunities) (IARCs).
In addition, three other high-priority areas were identified that do not need research, but need the establishment of effective links to transfer relevant results from other organisations conducting research on the subject:
human nutritional needs for micronutrients
land degradation and nutrient recycling within mixed crop–livestock systems
water-use efficiency in the system, modelling and hydrology research.
