According to the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report, changes in the climate over the last 30 years have already reduced global agricultural production by 1 – 5 % per decade relative to a baseline without climate change. In addition, recent studies indicate that even a 2 degrees increase in global temperature will affect agricultural productivity, particularly in the tropics, and this impact will rise with increases in temperature.

This annual report and programme highlights presents highlights of ILCA's work in 1992 under the seven programme themes in the medium-term plan for 1994-1998. The highlight for the theme mixed crop-livestock systems focuses on ILCA's work on nutrient cycling in mixed crop-livestock systems in the Sahelian region. Market-oriented smallholder dairying carries a report of results from ILCA's work at the Kenya coast, and outlines a framework for research on smallholder dairying that was developed during 1992.

This report highlights ILCA's work in the past, and discusses current activities and future plans with particular reference to mixed crop-livestock systems, market-oriented smallholder dairying, conservation of biodiversity, biological efficiency of livestock, livestock production under trypanosomiasis risk, livestock and resource management policy, and strengthening national research capacities.

Presents and discusses ILCA's research on smallholder farming in the highlands, village sheep and goat production in the humid zone, cattle production in the subhumid zone, pastoral production in the arid zones of West Africa, range livestock production in eastern and southern Africa, and breed evaluation and herd modelling.

This report presents some of the highlights of ILCA's research and training and information programme. The highlight described for the Cattle Milk and Meat Thrust focuses on helping national agricultural research systems (NARS) make better use of their livestock production data. The highlights of both the Small Ruminant Meat and Milk Thrust and the Animal Traction Thrust center on crop-livestock integration, integrating forage legumes into the farming systems of the Sahel and the subhumid zone of West Africa. The traction thrust focuses on ILCA's work in the Ethiopian highlands.