A. The basic principles behind the action being proposed
B. Necessary future action
80. The potential for increasing the production of livestock products and byproducts at low cost exists in Africa, particularly in the exporting countries. At the same time, the demand prospects for these products are high at national, sub-regional and regional levels. Despite considerable efforts in designing and implementing policies and programmes aimed at realizing these potentials, objectives remain largely unattained and the livestock resources of the continent remain largely under-developed.
81. In the light of the findings and conclusions of the present study unless radical measures and necessary steps are taken at the national, sub-regional and regional levels to reverse the unfavourable trends in productivity, production and trade, the performance of the livestock sector (improvements in self-sufficiency ratios (SSR), per caput supply (PCS), and the contribution of the livestock sector to the national economy) will further deteriorate since the more widespread occurrence of droughts and killer diseases at shorter intervals will seriously limit the ability of producers to reconstitute their stock.
82. In analyzing past trends, it was found that policy inadequacies were at the heart of the disappointing performance of the livestock sector. The present stock of technical knowledge for improving livestock productivity and marketing efficiency, and the available, though limited, trained manpower, could be sufficient to mobilize part of the production and marketing potentials for substantial increases in output. The problem is the lack of well-balanced policies and appropriate accompanying measures to enable this mobilization to be undertaken successfully.
83. Despite the large per capita livestock resources in Africa, the per capita consumption of meat is currently estimated to be about 13 kg. Also, livestock products supply a relatively small proportion of per caput intake of calories and proteins on the continent. Furthermore, the net export position of Africa in the late 1960s has now been substantially reversed to a net import position. This is mainly a result of rapidly rising imports from non-African sources to meet the needs of consumers whose real incomes have on average risen and whose numbers have also increased during the 15 years under review.
84. Despite the potential to translate into concrete action the declared African objective expressed in the LPA, - i.e., greater national and collective self-reliance - little progress has been achieved towards meeting this objective in the livestock sector. One reason for this is that planners have hitherto emphasized certain approaches and policies the implementation of which relied heavily on external assistance. There are even indications that official development assistance to the livestock sector has been decreasing in recent years. Also, it has become apparent that most countries, if not all, have found past development strategies for the livestock sector too expensive since governments made themselves almost wholly responsible for the basic investments and supply of inputs and services at both production and marketing levels. These inputs and services were generally made available to producers and traders without either an effective policy for charges to users or a code of use governed by appropriate legislation.
85. Livestock production and a large part of domestic marketing and trade activities have been in the hands of private individuals throughout most Africa. Attempts over the last quarter century to set the pace of livestock development, particularly marketing, by the public sector have also failed almost throughout the continent. Official attempts to redress problems in the livestock sector often resulted in differing or conflicting objectives and strategies between the government on the one hand, and producers, middlemen, merchants and butchers on the other. As a consequence, the scarce resources at the individual and national levels, particularly animals, rangeland, trained manpower and financial resources, were often inefficiently allocated and inappropriately used.
86. Fortunately, there is now a general awareness on the part of governments, producers, livestock dealers and bilateral and multilateral funding agencies that something must be done to reverse the unfavourable trend and increase the contribution of the livestock sector to the overall economy in general and to food and agricultural production in particular. The relevant question being asked is how this reversal of declining domestic production and supply trends in the livestock sector can be achieved. Foremost, there is an urgent need to reconcile the objectives and- strategies of all major parties involved in the livestock industry, namely producers, traders, input suppliers and consumers at all levels in the livestock sector, as well as governments at national, sub-regional and regional levels. The role to be played by governments is critical in evolving appropriate development policies and adopting legislation which would motivate and enable producers, traders, veterinarians etc. within and across national boundaries to operate efficiently. These should lead to the achievement of the development objectives intended for the livestock sector while concurrently satisfying the income distribution objectives at national, sub-regional and regional levels and ensuring the protection and conservation of the environment.
87. On the basis of the analysis of the major constraints hindering livestock development in Africa, suggestions have been made in this study wherever appropriate, on how to alleviate or eliminate them. In particular, in Chapter 111, detailed proposals on policies and related measures have been made regarding improved access to rangeland. These proposals are considered to be a prerequisite to any lasting and sustained development of the livestock sector, especially in areas of comparative advantage in livestock production. Therefore, it suffices to stress here the major actions required in the short- medium- and long-term for accelerating the implementation of the LPA with regard to the livestock sector and, in particular, to suggest ways of creating the framework and laying the foundation for collective self-reliance, self-sustaining progress and development of the livestock sector.
Required short- and medium-term action
88. i) In the short- and medium-term every effort should be made to realize the potential in trade through the development of efficient domestic, sub-regional and regional livestock marketing and trade channels so as to raise offtake rates from the present herds and flocks and reduce or eliminate the dependency of Africa on external sources for meat. The harmonization of marketing and pricing policies between neighbouring countries for the livestock sector, as already envisaged by the Western sub-region, is an essential instrument towards this objective.ii) In recent years, it has become apparent that to abate the impact of drought, the producers, particularly pastoralists, have tended to rush their stock onto the market. As there are normally limited capacities in meat processing and storage facilities in drought-affected countries, considerable quantities of animal products have simply been lost. Therefore, to minimize these losses, subregional processing facilities at strategic sites should be encouraged. Meanwhile, countries which have meat processing facilities should be encouraged, through appropriate incentives, to process the animals from drought-stricken countries on an emergency basis.
(iii) There is also a need for Early Warning Systems at national, sub-regional and regional levels to avert the effects of calamities such as drought or the outbreak of diseases.
(iv) Furthermore, there is an urgent need to take appropriate measures for regulating the access to rangeland throughout Africa. In particular, in the short- and medium-term it is essential to design an appropriate code of use of range resources under the communal tenure system, along with the required legislation for effective implementation of the code.
Required long-term action
89. In the long-term, efforts should be directed towards creating the bases for progressive and self-sustained development of the livestock sector at the producer and national levels so as to make the sector contribute significantly to food and agricultural production as well as to the overall economic development in Africa. The key to achieving this objective lies in making the producers and traders responsible for their own development. In particular, the producers should be made responsible for the development and management of the basic resources, especially the range and water required for livestock production in Africa. The following are considered to be the measures required to achieve these goals.
Land tenure
(1) As in the short- and medium-term measures, access to communal land in the long-term should be regulated. Whenever appropriate and feasible, individual land tenure should be considered, and small-holders should be encouraged to form legalized producer and marketing groups to benefit from economies of scale.
Harmonization of pricing, marketing and trade policies
(2) At the national, sub-regional and regional levels, it is essential to plan production and trade and to improve the efficiency of domestic marketing and trade channels.
Livestock development fund (LDF) and livestock development window (LDW)
(3) Owing to the characteristics and importance of livestock in the economies of importing and exporting countries, there is a need to create LDFs at national levels and LDWs in the financial institutions at the sub-regional and regional levels. The financial institutions of the present (and future) economic groupings in Africa, such as ECOWAS, ECCAS, PTA and ADB should be encouraged to open livestock windows. The LDFs and LDWs should be in charge of the component of sub-regional and inter-sub-regional marketing information systems of the programme for the harmonization of pricing and trade policies at national and sub-regional levels mentioned under item (2) above.
(4) To ensure greater collective self-reliance and self-sufficiency in the production of animal drugs and health equipment, feeds and all other major inputs, joint ventures in production and trade between private and public enterprises at national, sub-regional and regional levels should be promoted.
(5) The possibility of transferring part of the responsibility for the delivery of animal health inputs and services to organized cooperatives of producers as well as private individual practitioners and companies should be investigated.
(6) Instituting networks in specified fields and of associations of professionals in the major areas in livestock research and development should be encouraged by governments. These associations should aim at assisting the integration, coordination and harmonization of research training and extension activities at national, sub-regional and regional levels and develop information systems in major subjects concerning the livestock sector, especially in relation to diseases. In particular, these networks and associations will need to provide the basic input into the proposed Early Warning System programme for drought and diseases. Periodic conferences, seminars and workshops on livestock research and development, bringing together all professions and policy makers, planners and health specialists, producers, traders and extension staff, should be encouraged at national, sub-regional as well as regional levels.
