Operationalizing the pro-poor potential of livestock: Issues and strategies

Livestock comprise an important source of income for the poor. The sector contributes about one-fourth to the agricultural gross domestic product and has been growing faster than the agricultural sector as a whole. Livestock resources are more equally distributed than land, and are increasingly becoming concentrated among small landholders. These trends imply that growth in livestock sector has a larger potential for poverty reduction. The fast-growing demand for animal food products is an opportunity to harness this pro-poor potential. The productivity of livestock, however, is low, and growth therein has decelerated in recent years. Reversing this would require a technological breakthrough in genetic enhancement, animal health, and feed and nutrition and strengthening of livestock infrastructure, institutions and service delivery system.