Developing a Livestock Agri-Food Systems Research Program for
the CGIAR: Background and guiding questions for face to face
consultations
Shirley Tarawali and Peter Ballantyne
January 2016

Overview
• Why livestock?
• The global context for livestock research for development
• Challenges?
• How can we organise a research for development program to
address the complexity and diversity of the livestock sector,
without being unfocused?
• Research that delivers development outcomes and
impacts
• Integration of solutions
• Multiple balances and trade-offs
• Imperatives for delivery

The Livestock Agri-food Systems
CGIAR Research Program
Seizes the opportunity:
– Rapid increase in demand for animal-source foods
in developing countries
– Current suppliers of these being many millions of
smallholder farmers
Through:
– Providing research based solutions to drive the
transition to sustainable, resilient livelihoods and
diets for future generations

Why livestock?

Animal sourcefoods: 5of6highest valueglobal
commodities (total valueofthese5=US Int $715 billion)
FAOSTAT 2015
(values for 2013)
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
0
50
100
150
200
250
Production(MT)millions
Netproductionvalue(Int$)billion
net production value (Int $) billion production (MT)
Cow milk has
overtaken rice

Gains in meat consumption in developing
countries are outpacing those of developed
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
1980 1990 2002 2015 2030 2050
Millionmetrictonnes
developing
developed
developing at same
per cap. as
developed
(hypothetical)
Key drivers: population, income, urbanization

% growth in demand for livestock products
2000–2030
7
0
50
100
150
200
E.AsiaPacific
China
SouthAsia
SSA
Highincome
Beef
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
E.AsiaPacific
China
SouthAsia
SSA
Highincome
Pork
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
E.AsiaPacific
China
SouthAsia
SSA
Highincome
Poultry
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
E.AsiaPacific
China
SouthAsia
SSA
Highincome
Milk
FAO, 2011
Based on anticipated change in absolute tonnes of product comparing 2000 and 2030

Huge increases over 2005/7 amounts
of cereals, dairy and meat will be needed by 2050
From 2bn−3bn
tonnes cereals each year
From 664m−1bn
tonnes dairy each year
From 258m−460m
tonnes meat each year

Demand for livestock commodities in developing
economies will be met—the question is how
Scenario #1
Meeting livestock demand by
importing livestock products
Scenario #2
Meeting livestock demand by
importing livestock industrial production know-how
Scenario #3
Meeting livestock demand by
transforming smallholder livestock systems

Replacing the 90% of locally produced animal
commodities with imports is not feasible
Economically
Africa’s food import bill (2013): US $
44 billion
About one fifth is livestock (highest
after cereals):
Meat: US $ 5 billion; Milk: US $ 4
billion
Business as usual: the import bill
doubles

Various sources:
BMGF, FAO and ILRI
Smallholders still dominate
livestock production in many countries
Region
(definition of
‘smallholder’)
% production by smallholder livestock farms
Beef Chicken
meat
Sheep/goat
meat
Milk Pork Eggs
East Africa
(≤ 6 milking
animals)
60-90
Bangladesh
(< 3ha land)
65 77 78 65 77
India
(< 2ha land)
75 92 92 69 71
Vietnam
(small scale)
80
Philippines
(backyard)
50 35

Smallholders: part of the development
• Not sentimentality or a belief in “small is beautiful”
• Based on the evidence and the dual objectives of
– increasing animal source food supply to consumers
– supporting rural development and livelihoods
• The evidence:
– They produce the bulk of the livestock (and half of crop) products in
developing countries so need to be part of increase supply strategy
– They continue to be competitive so wont go away on their own
– Does not detract from investing in larger commercial systems

Livestock and livelihoods
 70% of the world’s rural poor rely on livestock
for important parts of their livelihoods.
 Of the more than 600 million poor livestock
keepers in the world, around two-thirds are
rural women.
 For the vulnerable, up to 40% of benefits from
livestock keeping come from non-market,
intangible benefits, mostly insurance and
financing.
 In the poorest countries, livestock manure
comprises over 70% of soil fertility
amendments.
 Many employed in local informal livestock
product markets
• 90% of animal products are produced and
consumed in the same country or region
• Over 70% of livestock products are sold
‘informally’

Why livestock?
New, unprecedented opportunities to:
• Address smallholder food and nutritional security
• Transform livelihoods and rural economies
• Ensure rapidly developing animal agriculture is
sustainable

Why livestock?
1. a) Have we made the case for a focus on
smallholder-based systems?
b)Is anything crucial missing?
2. Are there other aspects from ILRI’s global
perspective that should be considered?

Challenges?
Complexity
(cannot do everything)
Global diversity
(cannot be everywhere)

Distilling complexity - Distinguishing opportunities

Distilling complexity - Distinguishing opportunities
Trajectory Sector Opportunities for research to address development
challenges
‘Strong
growth’
Intensifying and
increasingly market
oriented often
transforming
smallholder
systems
Ruminant meat and milk,
esp. in SSA, India
− Pork in some regions.
Priority value chains
(livestock and fish CRP);
some rangeland systems
(systems CRPs)
Sustainable food systems that deliver key animal-source
nutrients
Facilitating a structural transition to fewer households
raising more productive animals in more efficient, intensive
and market-linked systems
Market access and food safety; (Zoonotic outbreaks)
‘High growth
with
externalities’
Intensified livestock
systems with
challenges
including the
environment and
public health
Mostly monogastric
− China for all
commodities.
A4NH, CCAFS, WLE
especially per-urban
locations
Incentives, technologies, strategies and product and
organizational innovations that mitigate the environmental
and public health risks and facilitate participation of the
poor in livestock markets and other business opportunities.
‘Fragile
growth’ Where
remoteness,
marginal land
resources or agro
climatic
vulnerability
restrict
intensification
Some smallholder and
pastoral systems; little
part in the production
response.
Selected systems CRP
locations
Enhance the essential roles of livestock in the resilience of
people and communities to variability in weather, markets
or resource demands
Protection of assets (eg insurance) and conservation of
natural resources.
Opportunities such as payment for ecosystem services could
become increasingly important

Distilling complexity - Distinguishing opportunities
Trajectory Sector Opportunities for research to address development
challenges
‘Strong
growth’
Intensifying and
increasingly market
oriented often
transforming
smallholder
systems
Ruminant meat and milk,
esp. in SSA, India
− Pork in some regions.
Priority value chains
(livestock and fish CRP);
some rangeland systems
(systems CRPs)
Sustainable food systems that deliver key animal-source
nutrients
Facilitating a structural transition to fewer households
raising more productive animals in more efficient, intensive
and market-linked systems
Market access and food safety; (Zoonotic outbreaks)
‘High growth
with
externalities’
Intensified livestock
systems with
challenges
including the
environment and
public health
Mostly monogastric
− China for all
commodities.
A4NH, CCAFS, WLE
especially per-urban
locations
Incentives, technologies, strategies and product and
organizational innovations that mitigate the environmental
and public health risks and facilitate participation of the
poor in livestock markets and other business opportunities.
‘Fragile
growth’ Where
remoteness,
marginal land
resources or agro
climatic
vulnerability
restrict
intensification
Some smallholder and
pastoral systems; little
part in the production
response.
Selected systems CRP
locations
Enhance the essential roles of livestock in the resilience of
people and communities to variability in weather, markets
or resource demands
Protection of assets (eg insurance) and conservation of
natural resources.
Opportunities such as payment for ecosystem services could
become increasingly important

Global diversity: selected priority locations
Inclusive sustainable intensification (value
chains): Nicaragua, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania
and Vietnam
Resilience: building on the systems work in
Nicaragua, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya and
Vietnam
Sites pending resources and further assessment:
Burkina Faso, Morocco, India and sites in Central
Asia, southern Africa.

Challenges?
Complexity
3. Does the organization of research for development
priorities around trajectories of change miss anything?
4. What are the top issues driving research on
sustainable intensification of livestock-based systems?
5. What are the top issues driving research on
enhanced resilience for livestock-based livelihoods?
Global diversity
6. Which criteria should drive decisions on which
countries, value chains or animal species to work on?

Research that delivers
development outcomes and
impacts
Integration of solutions
Multiple balances and trade-
offs:
technology, institutional,
livelihood, environmental,
economic, nutritional
Imperatives for delivery

Animal
genetics
Animal
health
Animal
feeds
Livestock
livelihoods and
agri-food
systems
Livestock and
the
environment
• Gender informed prioritisation
and targeting;
• New technological solutions;
• Delivery mechanisms
• Capacity to undertake research
• Gender; organizational; systems;
policy; consumer demand
• Integrative research, piloting and
scaling:
• Animal source food
systems
• Livestock based livelihoods
• Practice: Bundles of technological
innovations and tools, business models,
proof of concept for wider
implementation at scale
• Influence: Improved institutional
approaches and arrangements,
communications
• Capacity: Of individuals and institutions
to undertake, and to use, research

Animal
genetics
Animal
health
Animal
feeds
Livestock
livelihoods
and agri-
food
systems
Livestock
and the
environm
ent
• Practice: Bundles of technological
innovations and tools, business models,
proof of concept for wider
implementation at scale
• Influence: Improved institutional
approaches and arrangements,
communications
• Capacity: Of individuals and institutions
to undertake, and to use, research
International public
goods – new
technological and
methodological
breakthroughs
International public
goods – new
knowledge and
evidence relevant to
livestock trajectories
Local public goods
Transformed value
chains;
Resilient
communities
Nationaland
international
researchpartners
National,regionalandglobalresearchand
developmentpartners
Capacity to use
research results
Gender and
youth
transformation
Communication

Animal genetics
Animal
genetics
Animal
health
Animal
feeds
Livestock
livelihoods
and agri-
food
systems
Livestock
and the
environme
nt
Choices of improved breeds readily available,
affordable and used widely and sustainably
- Understanding, characterisation, utilization and
conservation of livestock phenotypes and
genotypes in relation to future production
systems
- New and appropriate breeds: application of new
opportunities in genomic and reproductive
technologies
- Effective delivery systems: breeding schemes,
institutional arrangements
- Policy and institutional support
- New opportunities for business: especially
involving youth and women
- Increased capacity to undertake research in
livestock genetics and genomics

Animal health
Animal
genetics
Animal
health
Animal
feeds
Livestock
livelihoods
and agri-
food
systems
Livestock
and the
environme
nt
Builds on decades of research and combines
advances in vaccinology and diagnostics with
refined herd health management to improve
productivity and mitigate disease risks
- Evaluate animal health constraints and threats:
methods and tools to identify the extent and
impact of animal health constraints and how
these are changing
- Refine and adapt holistic herd health
management approaches: impact of biosecurity,
animal welfare and rational use of drugs
- Develop diagnostics and vaccines: new products
for monitoring and control of livestock diseases
in the targeted livestock production systems
- Develop delivery models to improve access to
animal health services and products: demand-
driven and gender-responsive delivery models

Animal feeds and forages
Animal
genetics
Animal
health
Animal
feeds
Livestock
livelihoods
and agri-
food
systems
Livestock
and the
environme
nt
Increase livestock productivity by identifying,
testing and delivering superior feed and forage
strategies responding to evolving demands for
animal-source foods
- Builds on CG forage genebanks and feeds work;
applies new science
- More and better feeds: new feeds and forages;
new strategies to use existing feeds and forages
better
- Cross CRP platforms: ‘full purpose crops’;
biological nitrogen fixation
- Options for delivery at scale of feed and forage
technologies (eg seed systems etc);
opportunities for women, youth, new private
enterprises

Livestock and the environment
Animal
genetics
Animal
health
Animal
feeds
Livestock
livelihoods
and agri-
food
systems
Livestock
and the
environme
nt
A reduced environmental footprint and
enhanced positive ecosystem services from
livestock systems that are adapted to
environmental change
- Assess the environmental sustainability,
efficiency and adaptability of livestock
production technologies
- Optimize natural resource use and enhance the
provision of ecosystem services - exploring,
testing and disseminating innovative livestock
management solutions with end users
- Develop and support improved institutions and
other governance mechanisms for
environmental solutions
Unique role: to contribute evidence to the global
debate on livestock and the environment that is
particular to the developing world; and using field
research to provide context-specific solutions

Livestock livelihoods
and agri-food systems
Animal
genetics
Animal
health
Animal
feeds
Livestock
livelihoods
and agri-
food
systems
Livestock
and the
environme
nt
Integrative research to improve animal source
food systems and livestock based livelihoods
- Systems analysis for priority setting and scaling
and on livestock sector development
- Gender-based analysis to inform research
priority setting and equitable outcomes
- Enhanced nutrition through livestock: nutrition-
sensitive and cost-effective livestock
interventions, market and investment
assessment and opportunities to improve
nutrition
- Improving livelihoods of smallholder livestock
keepers and their capacity to cope with shocks
- Enabling policies, markets and institutions
- Systematic learning to facilitate scaling of
innovations related to the unique opportunities
of livestock systems

Partnerships
 Partners contribute to discovery and delivery objectives of the
Program: global to regional to national to local; from research
to development; and from public to civil to private sector –
specific to each flagship and site
 Strategic partners have a long-term multi-faceted
engagement to deliver the CRP portfolio
 Collaborators implement joint activities with the Program
because they share interest in achieving specific activity
objectives for a restricted set of deliverables – specific to each
flagship and site

Strategic partners
German Development Agency (GIZ)
International Center for Agricultural Research in the
Dry Areas (ICARDA)
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
International Livestock Research Institute
International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR)
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

Capacity to use
research results
Gender and
youth
transformation
Communication
 A strategic enabler in the complex process of achieving
development outcomes through research
 Multiple levels—individual, organizational and
institutional—and covers a wider scope than the mere
transfer of knowledge and skills through training.
 A key to engage with stakeholders in multiple ways and
at different levels to ensure research outputs are taken
to scale.
 Particular emphasis on the ‘design and delivery of
innovative learning materials and approaches’ and
‘developing future research leaders through fellowships’

Capacity to use
research results
Gender and
youth
transformation
Communication
 Gender-integrated research—the coordination and
consolidation of gender research across the portfolio
 How gender (in-)equality affects the technological
and institutional solutions that are designed,
delivered and studied
 How technological and institutional solutions
impact on gender relations
 Strategic gender research—specific research activities
to inform the whole portfolio and beyond
 How gender norms and structures shape the
social/institutional context
 Transformative approaches to addressing gender-
based constraints
 Opportunities for equitable livestock-related
livelihoods and for equitable access, control and
intake of animal-source foods

Capacity to use
research results
Gender and
youth
transformation
Communication
 Robust communication, engagement, data and
knowledge management processes help in uptake and
achieving outcomes. They also contribute to program
effectiveness, learning and accountability.
 Across the program, advocacy, awareness, engagement,
collaboration, publishing and curation activities will:
 Support partnerships and policy processes so
results are scaled.
 Communicate about the program, the science,
results and progress towards achieving results.
 Promote learning and sharing to improve program
effectiveness and collaboration.
 Make CRP information, data and intellectual assets
open and accessible.
 Together, deliver CGIAR policies on intellectual assets,
open access and research data management.
 Guided by ‘open’ science and collaboration principles.

Research that delivers development outcomes and
impacts
Integration of solutions
7. Do we have the right ingredients for stepwise,
transformative changes leading to sustainable, resilient
livestock systems?
8. How best can we integrate capacity development,
gender, communications?

Imperatives for delivery
9. Are there any categories of partners missing?
10. What are key roles for the private sector for
livestock?
And public sector?

Overview
• Why livestock?
• The global context for livestock research for development
• Challenges?
• How can we organise a research for development program to
address the complexity and diversity of the livestock sector,
without being unfocused?
• Research that delivers development outcomes and
impacts
• Integration of solutions
• Multiple balances and trade-offs
• Imperatives for delivery

Recap of questions

Why livestock?
1. a) Have we made the case for a focus on
smallholder-based systems?
b)Is anything crucial missing?
2. Are there other aspects from ILRI’s global
perspective that should be considered?

Challenges?
Complexity
3. Does the organization of research for development
priorities around trajectories of change miss anything?
4. What are the top issues driving research on
sustainable intensification of livestock-based systems?
5. What are the top issues driving research on
enhanced resilience for livestock-based livelihoods?
Global diversity
6. Which criteria should drive decisions on which
countries, value chains or animal species to work on?

Research that delivers development outcomes and
impacts
Integration of solutions
7. Do we have the right ingredients for stepwise,
transformative changes leading to sustainable, resilient
livestock systems?
8. How best can we integrate capacity development,
gender, communications?

Imperatives for delivery
9. Are there any categories of partners missing?
10. What are key roles for the private sector for
livestock?
And public sector?