1) Most rural households in sub-Saharan Africa keep livestock, but not all livestock keepers consume animal source foods (ASFs). While livestock ownership plays an important economic role, it does not necessarily predict higher ASF consumption. 2) Ownership of dairy cattle and poultry determine milk and egg consumption, but quantities consumed are generally negligible compared to daily protein requirements. Meat consumption averages just 2-14 kg per capita annually. 3) Increases in smallholder livestock productivity could improve livelihoods but are unlikely to significantly or directly impact nutrition on their own. Market mechanisms may be better than self-consumption for achieving adequate ASF protein and micronutrients. Targeting relatively large, market-oriented

1. Livestock Ownership and Consumption of
Animal-source Foods in Sub-Saharan Africa:
What Do the Data Say?
Ugo Pica-Ciamarra, FAO
SCIENCE FORUM 2013
Nutrition and health outcomes: targets for agricultural research
23-25 September 2013, Bonn, Germany

2. Outline
• Facts: Protein-energy
malnutrition and animal source-
foods
• Livestock keepers and livestock
eaters
• Livestock ownership and the
consumption of animal foods
• Livestock productivity and
improved nutrition: what
connection?
• Conclusions

3. Facts: undernourishment
870 million undernourished in
2010-2012 (12.5%) – 98% in
developing countries
(FAO, 2012)
Protein-energy malnutrition
(PEM) is the most lethal form
of malnutrition
(WHO, 2000)

4. Facts: animal source foods (ASFs) and undernourishment
Meat, milk eggs and fish are
sources of complete protein
(contain all 9 essential amino
acids)
Animal source foods are also
good sources of key
micronutrients (vitamin A;
iron; zinc; calcium; etc.)

5. Facts: most of rural households keep livestock
% of rural households keeping livestock

6. Facts: livestock ownership and nutrition
Source: T. Randolph et al (2007)
Journal of Animal Science, 87

7. Question: livestock keeping ASF consumption?
Source: T. Randolph et al (2007)
Journal of Animal Science, 87
Animals
owned
HH ASF
consumption

8. 1. Are livestock keepers
livestock eaters?
multitude of roles of livestock in
the household economy
2. Is livestock ownership a
predictor of ASF
consumption?
trade animals / livestock products
for cheaper calories
Question: livestock keeping ASF consumption?
3. Do increases in livestock
productivity improve HH
ASF intake (nutrition)?
economic incentives / implications
for policies

9. 1. Are livestock keepers
livestock eaters?
multitude of roles of livestock in
the household economy
2. Is livestock ownership a
predictor of ASF
consumption?
trade animals / livestock products
for cheaper calories
3. Do increases in livestock
productivity improve HH
ASF intake (nutrition)?
economic incentives / implications
for policies
Living Standards Measurement Studies
from 7 sub-Saharan African Countries,
(1999 to 2011)
Question: livestock keeping ASF consumption?

10. Livestock keepers and livestock eaters

11. 1. Are livestock keepers
livestock eaters?
multitude of roles of livestock in
the household economy
2. Is livestock ownership a
predictor of animal food
consumption?
trade animals / livestock products
for cheaper calories
3. Do increases in livestock
productivity improve HH
ASF intake (nutrition)?
quantity
Not all livestock keepers
consume animal foods
Question: livestock keeping ASF consumption?

12. Livestock ownership and consumption of animal foods

13. Livestock ownership and consumption of animal foods
Variables Statistical significance
‘Tropical Livestock Unit’
/ ‘Cattle equivalent’
Ghana***; Malawi***;
Niger ***; Nigeria***;
Tanzania***; Uganda***
-
Large ruminants -
Malawi***; Niger*;
Nigeria*** ;
Tanzania*** ;Uganda***
Small ruminants - Niger**; Tanzania**;
Pigs and poultry birds -
Ghana***; Malawi***;
Niger*; Nigeria***;
Tanzania***; Uganda*
Other variables not presented
*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1.
Probit estimates on consumption of animal foods

14. 1. Are livestock keepers
livestock eaters?
multitude of roles of livestock in
the household economy
2. Is livestock ownership a
predictor of ASF
consumption?
trade animals / livestock products
for cheaper calories
Not all livestock keepers
consume animal foods
Ownership of dairy cattle
and poultry are
determinants of milk and
egg consumption
Question: livestock keeping ASF consumption?
3. Do increases in livestock
productivity improve HH
ASF intake (nutrition)?
economic incentives / implications
for policies

15. Quantity consumed is negligible
Meat = btw 2.2 kg/year
and 14 kg/year per capita
Milk = btw 14 lit/year and
22 lit/year per capita
(Recall periods differ / annual
consumption difficult to calculate
with no detailed info on production
(e.g. clutching period for hens) /
cross-sectoral partnerships
appropriate for improved
questionnaire design)

16. Quantity consumed is negligible
Meat = btw 2.2 kg/year
and 14 kg/year per capita
Milk = btw 14 lit/year and
22 lit/year per capita
Daily protein requirement for
a 50 kg adult = 43 grams
Beef / Pork = 73 kg/year
Goat meat = 78 Kg/year
Poultry = 81 Kg/year
Milk = 460 lit/year
Increase smallholder productivity for better ‘nutrition’?

17. % of rural households keeping livestock
(mean / median herd size for livestock keeping households)
(0.80/0.50)
(1.93/0.50)
(0.47/0.13)
(3.17/0.33)
(2.20/0.88)
(1.25/0.45)
(1.41/0.60)
Average herd size (mean / median in ‘cattle equivalent’)

18. 1. Are livestock keepers
livestock eaters?
multitude of roles of livestock in
the household economy
2. Is livestock ownership a
predictor of ASF
consumption?
trade animals / livestock products
for cheaper calories
Not all livestock keepers
consume animal foods
Ownership of dairy cattle
and poultry are
determinants of milk and
egg consumption
Unlikely to have major
direct effects on nutrition
level on their own
Question: livestock keeping ASF consumption?
3. Do increases in livestock
productivity improve HH
ASF intake (nutrition)?
economic incentives / implications
for policies

19. Conclusions
Increases in smallholder livestock
productivity support livelihoods
but…. do they significantly directly
impact on nutrition?
ASF protein / micronutrient intake
better achieved through market
mechanism than through self-
consumption ?
Target ‘few’ ‘relatively large’ market
oriented livestock producers ? (info
is not available from nationally
representative datasets!)
0.511.5
Density
0 5 10 15 20
Tropical Livestock Units: total

20. Thank you
www.fao.org/ag/aga.html