World livestock production systems. Current status, issues and trends

This study is part of a multi-donor study called Interactions between livestock production systems and the Environment - Global perspectives and Prospects coordinated by FAO. The aim of this study is to develop a classification and characterisation of the worlds' livestock systems which enables detailed studies of livestock-environment interactions by livestock systems and by impact domains. The study covers livestock production systems involving cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens. The study covers 150 countries. Eleven livestock systems are described in this study. It provides readers with the quantitatives estimates of the magnitude of the resources in each of the systems defined, the major outputs and a set of productivity indices related to the system and a description of the main features of the system, emphasising both the environmental aspects as well as the development paths that these systems are evolving. Solely livestock grassland-based systems, mixed rainfed systems, mixed irrigated systems, livestock landless monogastric production system, and landless livestock ruminant production systems are the systems described with in the different zones viz temperate, tropical highlands, arid and semi-arid tropics and subtropics, and humid and subhumid tropics and subtropics.