Provides a brief outline of the theory and practice of livestock systems research, and presents the fruits of both ILCA's own long experience of livestock systems research and of expertise and efforts of others in the field. The manual may be of use to a wide audience, including those who need to study livestock systems in Africa in the context of development activities rather than research.

Factors driving the demand for livestock products in the developing countries are primarily population growth, urbanisation and income growth. These factors are expected to continue to fuel the increase in milk and meat consumption in the next millennium, creating a veritable livestock revolution. This paper looks into the value of food consumption increases for meat, milk, fish and major cereals (1970-1995). it illustrates total meat consumption and per capita meat consumption by country; cereals used as feed by major region; and projected real prices, 2020.

As global demand for livestock products (such as meat, milk, and eggs) is expected to double by 2050, necessary

increases to future production must be reconciled with negative environmental impacts that livestock cause. This

paper describes the LivestockPlus concept and demonstrates how the sowing of improved forages can lead to the

sustainable intensification of mixed crop–forage–livestock–tree systems in the tropics by producing multiple social,

economic, and environmental benefits. Sustainable intensification not only improves the productivity of tropical

Although water is a renewable natural resource, it has become insufficient at the global level. Unless the current efficiency level of water use can be increased, the trend of water shortages will become more serious. Among agricultural activities, livestock production is mostly considered an intensive water consuming operation although the knowledge and information related to livestock-water interaction app ears to be limited in scope.

A study was conducted in southern Mali to analyze and document existing local conventions governing the management of natural resources in the mixed crop-livestock systems. Both the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and individual interviews were conducted to collect information. In total, the group discussions included 27 administrative and technical services and 53 community authorities all genders combined, and individual surveys involving 165 farmers including 54 women.

Although Climate-Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices are expected to boost adaptive capacity, food security and climate change mitigation in resource poor, smallholder farming systems, the barriers that can restrict their uptake are diverse. This study investigated the principal barriers hindering the adoption of CSA practices in the Upper West region of Ghana with the aim of inventorying existing uptake of CSA and providing recommendations to CCAFS as to practices with potential for further research or implementation on the farm level.

Many research and development agencies are committed to halving the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. Knowledge of where the poor are, and what characterises them, is patchy at best. Here we describe a global livestock and poverty mapping study designed to assist in targeting research and development activities concerning livestock. Estimates of the numbers of poor livestock keepers by production system and region are presented.