1. There is a potential to improve livestock production and productivity to satisfy the needs of farmers and their families in the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region.
2. Problems affecting livestock production and productivity are complex; therefore, holistic and participatory approaches are needed to tackle them.
3. No single institution can work alone to solve the problems affecting livestock production and productivity; therefore, partnerships are necessary.
4. Partnerships must be established based on general principles of openness and the sharing of costs, benefits and attributions.
5. Standardisation and transfer of methods are necessary to ensure broad regional and global application.
6. Training of local human resources, information exchange and networking are critical ways of ensuring more impact.
7. It is necessary to create more awareness on the importance of strengthening links between activities such as research, extension and credit.
8. The following research priorities are identified as cutting across different systems:
small ruminant breed characterisation, evaluation of breed potentials and promotion of the use of breeds with good potential
9. Main recommendations for priorities that should be addressed at the national level are
- feed resources
a) assessment in different production systems
b) in situ conservation and management
c) seed propagation methods
d) range management options
- animal health
a) validation of diagnostic kits
b) development of herd health management strategies
- animal breeding
a) development of production and reproduction recording systems
b) development of selection indices for livestock improvement based on farmers’
objectives
c) development of strategies for establishing nucleus herds
- marketing
a) marketing strategies
b) establishment of equitable terms of trade
c) impact of marketing on production systems
- natural resource management
a) water conservation and utilisation
- extension
a) assessment of extension services and proposition for improvements
b) establishment of co-ordinating mechanisms between research, extension, credit and policy formulation
- feed resources
a) supplementation
- animal health
a) evaluation of multivalent vaccines
b) strategies for integrated disease management
- animal breeding
a) establishment of farmers’ breeding objectives
- policies
a) delivery of veterinary and extension services
b) marketing policy: inputs and outputs
- herd management
a) determination of interactions between nutrition and reproduction efficiency
a) assessment of extension methods
10. Main recommendations for issues that need to be addressed internationally through close collaboration between international agencies and national agricultural research systems:
- feed resources and natural resource management
a) assessment of land tenure systems and options for improvement
b) nutritional evaluation of feeds (phytochemistry, methods, rumen ecology)
c) development of indicators of land degradation
- animal breeding
a) estimation of genetic parameters for economic traits
b) development of appropriate genetic evaluation methods
c) breeding for disease resistance
- extension
a) evaluation of extension methods
- participation
a) development of effective methods to ensure farmer participation in the overall research and development process
- feeds and natural resource management
a) improvement of forage and fodder quality
b) rumen ecology and function
c) water use efficiency
- policy
a) land management and nutrient recycling
- farmers’ empowerment
a) development of methodologies to encourage farmer participation.
11. As a follow-up, it was agreed that more specific project proposals will be developed in a participatory manner, involving the major stakeholders. The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) will take the lead in promoting the writing of specific proposals.
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