Sustainable Development of Crop-Livestock Farms in Africa

Abstract

Crop-livestock farms across Africa are highly variable due to in agroecological and socioeconomic factors, the latter shaping the demand and supply of livestock products. Crop-livestock farms in Africa in the 20-first century are very different from most mixed farms elsewhere in the world. African crop-livestock farms are smaller in size, have fewer livestock, lower productivity and less dependency on imported feed than farms in most countries of Europe, the Americas and the intensive agricultural systems of Asia. This paper discusses the role African crop-livestock farms have in the broader socio-agricultural economy, and how these are likely to change adapting to pressures brought on by the intensification of food systems. This intensification implies increasing land productivity (more food per hectare), often leading to more livestock heads per farm, producing fertilized feeds in croplands and importing feed supplements from the market. This discussion includes (1) the links between crop yields, soil fertility and crop-livestock integration, (2) the increasing demand for livestock products and the land resources required to meet to this demand, and (3) the opportunities to integrate broader societal goals into the development of crop-livestock farms. There is ample room for development of crop-livestock farms in Africa, and keeping integration as part of the development will help prevent many of the mistakes and environmental problems related to the intensification of livestock production observed elsewhere in the world. This development can integrate biodiversity, climate change adaptation and mitigation to the current goals of increasing productivity and food security. The inclusion of broader goals could help farmers access the level of finance required to implement changes.

Livestock solutions to regenerate soils and landscapes for sustainable agri-food systems transformation in Africa

“…Large livestock populations live within the major farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Middle East/North Africa: 107 million in Maize Mixed systems (east, central, southern Africa), 98 million in Agropastoral (semi-arid areas across Africa), 61 million in Highland Perennial (humid east African highlands), 45 million in Highland Mixed (mainly subhumid north-east Africa), and 43 million in Cereal-root crop Mixed (subhumid savanna zone west and central Africa). Livestock in different contexts serve different functions, play different roles in livelihoods, and vary in herd structure, breed composition, feeding, and management regimes (Robinson et al 2011), reflecting differences in cultural, social, economic, and agro-ecological factors (Rufino et al, 2021). According to Dixon et al (2020), the main environmental challenges in African farming systems include soil health and land related issues (Figure 3), which is largely in agreement with African experts’ opinion reported in Paul et al (2020).…”

Farmers’ and Herders’ Perceptions on Rangeland Management in Two Agroecological Zones of Benin

“…Moreover, we need to better understand which trade-offs exist between livestock, crops, environment, and society in view of livelihoods and food security [80]. The intensification of crop-livestock farming has to integrate the biomass and nutrient flows between cropping and livestock activities to lead to productive land and sustainable outcomes [81]. This merits further reflection and concerted action of all stakeholders, pastoralists, crop farmers, scientists, and political authorities.…”