Livestock production currently accounts for some 40% of the gross value of world agricultural production, and its share is rising (FAO, 2002). Livestock production is the largest user of agricultural land; directly through grazing of pastures and indirectly through the production of forage crops and other feeds. Over the next 20 years, there will be a massive increase in demand for food of animal origin in developing countries, and this increase will be greater than for either the major cereals or roots and tubers (IFPRI, 1995; Delgado et al., 1999).

Detailed geographical profiles of poverty and inequality can be extremely valuable to governments, non-governmental organizations, and multilateral institutions that aim to strengthen the impact of their spending on poverty. Some developing countries use information on the geographical distribution of welfare indicators to guide the allocation of resources among local agencies or government as a first step in reaching the poor. Poverty maps can also be important tools for researchers.

A rapid growth in per capita consumption of livestock products is occurring in developing countries (Delgado et al., 1999; FOASTAT 1983-2002). In the last two decades and until 2020, the increase in the consumption of meat and milk has been estimated to be much higher in developing countries compared to developed countries (Delgado et al. 1999). This increase in consumption and demand is fuelling an increase in production.

The rapid growth of global demand for livestock products, which has occurred over the last quarter century, has been characterised as “the Livestock Revolution” (Delgado et al., 1999 and 2001). It is largely driven by increases in per capita incomes, population growth and urbanisation of the developing countries. (Further notes on the classification of countries, as “developed” or “developing” are given in Appendix 4.1). As Figure 4.1 shows, while consumption per capita of livestock products has fallen slightly in the developed countries over the last decade, substantial growth has occurred in the developing countries.

The major centres of consumption of animal products are countries of relatively high per capita income and human population density. In these countries, the cost of production of animal product tends to be high. In particular, land and labour prices are higher than in less populous and wealthy countries. This also tends to encourage the adoption of more intensive animal production systems, often associated with adverse effects on animal disease risk, product quality, animal welfare and the environment.

The authors were supported by the EU-funded Strengthening of Veterinary Services, Vietnam (SVSV) Project to study the benefits and costs to different stakeholders of options to control Classical Swine Fever (CSF) in the Red River Delta. The potential for export expansion as a result of improved disease control was considered during the study. Vietnam hopes to enter the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2005, with an objective of increasing export trade.

Animals make an important contribution to livelihoods in smallholder farming systems throughout the developing world. In these systems there is often a dynamic interaction between livestock and crops (Powell et al., 1998). They also represent a number of other benefits to the farming family. Livestock are a major source of savings, add value to a number of resources that could not otherwise be utilized by the farming family, for example the feed biomass (weeds, straw, cultivated forages, common grazing areas, surplus grain), by transforming it into valuable products (meat, milk, eggs) for consumption and sale; or the provision of services (draught and pack power). They also enable members of the household to add value to their own labour. Women, children and the elderly are usually responsible at least partially for the care of animals, and many of them would not be able to find remunerated activities given their other responsibilities (e.g. domestic responsibilities of women), time devoted to the activity (e.g. school children who tend the animals before and after school), or due to old age (Arriaga-Jordán, 1996).

In the Bolivian Department of Santa Cruz, the Provinces of Sara and Ichilo lie some 100 km North-West of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where they occupy an area of about 21,000 km2. Most of the region is a flat, alluvial plain, 350-450 m above sea level, with young soils prone to localized, seasonal waterlogging, although the land becomes undulating and rises to 800 m as it approaches the foothills of the Andes to the west. The soils are moderately fertile with pH values often in the range of 4.5 to 5.5.

Rapid predicted worldwide growth in demand for animal products to 2020, the so-called “next food revolution” in animal agriculture, portends complex interactions among people, biological and geophysical resources, and economic objectives. Consumer demand for beef and pork is expected to increase by 2.8% per year, somewhat slower than demand growth for poultry meat (3.1%/yr). Demand for dairy products is predicted to grow fastest, at 3.3%/yr (Delgado et al., 1999).

The growing demand for livestock products in the developing world is expected to drive livestock production in these countries. Delgado et al. (1999) predict that by 2020, developing countries will produce on average 38% more meat and 54% more milk per capita than in the early 1990s. The livestock revolution could then translate into opportunities for smallholder livestock producers. In the case of ruminants, much of this increase may occur in mixed farming systems, rather than through industrial production. In 1991–93, mixed systems produced 92% of the world's milk, and 54% of the world's meat (de Haan et al., 1997).

In sub-Saharan Africa mixed crop-livestock systems predominate in the semi-arid, sub-humid and cool highland zones. In these areas, systems intensify and crops and livestock become increasingly integrated as the human population increases and land becomes a more important constraint than labour (Boserup, 1965; McIntire et al., 1992). As intensification progresses, use of crop residues moves from open access to crop fields, following harvest, to labour intensive management of cereals as dual-purpose crops.

The smallholder agricultural systems in Vietnam today, although still based largely on traditional systems and practices, are undergoing considerable change as a result of the economic and social reforms enacted under the process of “Doi Moi” and the resulting rapid economic growth of the 1990s. In particular paddy rice production has risen from an annual average of around 15 million tonnes for the period 1981-88 to over 20 million tonnes in 1999–2002, and this, and increases in the production of other major crops have been important factors behind the rise in both the numbers and productivity of the main livestock species, due partly to increased quantities of crop residues and agro-industrial by-products (e.g. rice bran) becoming available for feed.

Economic projections into the year 2020 (Delgado et al., 1999) indicate that the global demand for animal products will increase sharply, particularly in developing countries, and suggest that the bulk of the increased production to meet this demand will come from large-scale, industrial production. Many smallholders in developing countries depend at least partly on livestock as a source of livelihood; for pastoralists, livestock are by definition the main source of livelihood.

Improved animal production and productivity enhancement in Asia are justified in direct response to the need for more animal proteins. This need is associated with rising incomes, which encourage people to diversify their diets to include a variety of meats, eggs and dairy products, including the substitution of calories in livestock for low-priced starch calories. The projected total meat and milk human consumption levels in 2020 are far in excess of anticipated supplies (Degaldo et al., 1999). The rapid growth in the consumption of foods of animal origin is especially spectacular in East and South East Asia where the demand growth has placed unprecedented pressure on the management of the natural resources (crops, animals, land and water).

Over the course of the last decade, the fight against global poverty has galvanised the world community. Development projects and programmes are increasingly justified and funded solely on their potential to aid the poor. Equally, the lessons learned from previous drives to eradicate poverty appear to have been taken on board. It has been recognised that to lower poverty levels, it is first imperative to understand the lives and livelihoods of the poor. Therefore, current approaches generally focus upon the multitude of activities that poor households pursue. Animal husbandry is one such activity. Indeed, it has been estimated that at least one third of the poor rear livestock (LID, 1999). Therefore, livestock keepers are one of the largest subsets of the global community of the poor.

The limitations to livestock production are numerous and varied but are applicable to a greater or lesser extent in both developed and developing countries. Crop factors that limit livestock production include inadequate quality (e.g. crop residues such as maize stover) and quantity of feed resources with an inconsistent supply due to extremes of climate (e.g. low rainfall and high temperatures), the presence of anti-nutritional factors and toxins (e.g. trypsin inhibitors, glucosinolates, gossypol, mycotoxins), and deficiencies of specific nutrients (e.g. amino acids and minerals).

Globalization describes the many processes by which society is becoming more interconnected and interdependent. It has many dimensions, trade, finance, information, culture, tourism, the spread of pests and diseases, migration, corruption, environmental change and the supply of food. It is here to stay and offers many opportunities for growth and change. The challenge must be, ‘can it be made to work for the reduction of poverty, instability and hunger?’

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) confidently predict that the demand for meat and animal products will increase by 50% between 2000 and 2020 and for eggs by 25% over the same period.

The call for products of animal origin increased dramatically in the Developing World in the last twenty years of the twentieth century. It is expected to double again in the first twenty years of the twenty-first century. The massive demand fuelled a concomitant increase in supply. This combination of events, being increasingly dubbed the “livestock revolution”, is certain to have an effect on the global environment. The changes that are occurring can be a force for good: helping to relieve human poverty, hunger and disease and being a driving force in intensification and improved efficiency of livestock production over wide areas.

Science produces new knowledge relevant to agricultural production at a breathtaking pace. Despite concerns over the limited resources committed to publicly funded research, the number of articles in scientific journals and of papers and posters presented at scientific conferences continues to increase year on year. Increasing amounts of knowledge are also being generated in the commercial sector, some protected by commercial considerations but much of it contributing to the general stock of publicly available knowledge. Yet individuals have a limited capacity to attend to and take in new information.