Discusses the need for data on voluntary offtake & acquisition of livestock in pastoral production systems, and considers methods through which desired data can be collected, particularly multiple-visit, and single-visit progeny history technique.
Discusses livestock water needs and the variation of water dependence in dif. circumstance, mentioning body water functions; physiological aspects of water balance; channels of gain & loss; and factors affecting water balance, particularly energy production, thermoregulation and water availability. Examines energy and water use, as well as water & livestock development in pastoral areas of Africa.
Discusses how low level aerial survey can be used to diagnose constraints within pastoral systems and the relative cost effectiveness of such operations, with particular reference to flight & sample procedures and information collection and analysis; presents some results from low-altitutde aerial survey undertaken by ILCA in Nigeria, Mali, Niger and Ethiopia.
Selection of presentations made at the workshop on "Pastoral systems research in sub-Saharan Africa", describing the framework used by ILCA for pastoral systems research (PSR), examining methods used in the descriptive and diagnostic stage of PSR, and showing how the design and testing procedures are followed in practice; with particular reference to low-altitude aerial surveys, livestock surveys & household studies.
Presents a collection of conference papers defining pastoral systems research; the survey and diagnostic phase of pastoral systems research; ILCA's experience in remote sensing techniques and aerial surveys; survey of vegetation resources; livestock productivity and animal nutrition; pastoral production strategies, wealth effects, household studies, and labour data collection as well as livestock marketing studies.
Describes the Ethiopian highlands assessing their potential for improved agricultural production; reports ILCA's studies on the traditional smallholder production system of the highlands; and analyzes productivity aspects of the system's crop and livestock components. Discusses the approach to farming systems research (FSR) along with the implications for adoption of the approach and its results by a national agency, some research experiences and the outlook for future research.
Analyzes statistically, results of weighings made on two cattle groups at the Sarite cooperative ranch in the southern rangelands of Ethiopia & used as a fattening area to determine effects of place of origin, herdsmen group and sex (bull or castrate) on initial liveweight, weight gain & performance of animals, their purchase & sales prices and profits realised and calculates optimum liveweights at purchase & sale to maximize profits. Includes recommendations on the basis of the results.
Discusses pastoral systems research (PSR) within the framework of the experience of livestock and pastoral development in Africa during the last 50 years, analyzing data on livestock population & productivity in relation to the welfare of pastoralists; and examines previous efforts in pastoral development relevant to PSR approach.
Discusses the importance of wealth differences among producers in traditional pastoral production systems, describing a rapid method, dependent on informants, for determining the wealth rank of producers within a given community in order to stratify a population of producers before sampling.
Discusses the need for identifying sociological and economic possibilities for improvement in pastoral production systems, mentioning the major steps involved, particularly, identification of potential improvements, prediction of their likely impact on net production & quality of life; prediction of the probability of adoption; and assessment of the rapidity with which the improvements will bear fruit.
Describes the dif. phases in the ILCA research framework, w. regard to Livestock Systems Research (LSR), particularly the descriptive, diagnostic, design, testing & extension phases, using examples of field research on pastoral & agropastoral systems in the arid & semi arid zones of Mali, Ethiopia and Kenya.