Differentiating four livestock production systems.

This chapter describes and differentiates the 4 major livestock production systems that exist within both Developing and Developed Countries. These systems are (1) intensive land use and low-input: smallholder mixed farming; (2) extensive land use and low-input: agro-pastoralism; (3) intensive land use and high-input: large-scale animal production; and (4) extensive land use and high-input: ranching and feedlots. Smallholder farming and pastoralism are determined to be the main livestock keeping strategies relevant to the urban and rural poor. The characteristics of the 4 major livestock production systems in developed countries are described using The Netherlands as an example.