The need for an increased use of small and mini‐livestock in integrated smallholder farming systems¹

Paper presented at the Biodiversity in Agriculture for a Sustainable Future Symposium, Beijing, 19–21 Sept., 1995.

Producing protein through crop cultivation requires less land than through animal husbandry. Consequently, it is often thought that there is no room for animal husbandry on the very small farms as found in China and Indonesia. Indeed, on farms smaller than 0.5 ha, large ruminants are very rare and mini‐livestock are also not common. Most proteins required in the family diet are thus obtained from leguminous plant products, notably beans and soya products such as soya milk, tofu and tempe. Until recently it was assumed that plant proteins, when consumed in a balanced diet, can fully meet human nutritional requirements, and that animal proteins are not needed. Recent research has shown, however, that in developing countries, unbalanced vegetarian diets regularly lead to nutritional problems, notably those caused by micro‐nutrient and vitamin deficiencies. Consumption of small amounts of animal products can overcome these problems. Under certain circumstances there may be ecological niches available for livestock, particularly for small animals which are relatively efficient converters, or successful scavengers. This paper explores the possibilities of using small animals on very small farms, their land and ecological niche requirement, the way they compete for resources with food crops, and the contribution they can make to the overall nutritional status of the world's land‐stressed families. It is concluded that it is very difficult to have access to ecological niches suitable for small animal exploitation in ecologically uniform areas such as large plains, but that niches still exist in agricultural areas that are interspersed with forest areas and water bodies. However, such niches are becoming smaller and smaller and are often deteriorating due to over‐use and pollution.

Key words:

• Protein
• micro‐nutrients
• mini‐livestock
• food security
• small farms

Notes

Paper presented at the Biodiversity in Agriculture for a Sustainable Future Symposium, Beijing, 19–21 Sept., 1995.

Present address: P.O. Box 1, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.