Livestock Management in Dryland Pastoral Systems: Prospects and Problems

Abstract

Livestock production from the drylands is quite important both in tenus of the volume of product produced and in respect to the number of people dependent on livestock for their livelihood. Drylands support the full spectrum of production systems from commercial ranching in Australia, westem USA, Mexico, Argentina and southern Africa through various gnldations of crop-livestock systems in Africa and Asia to traditional nomadic and semi-nomadic subsistence systems. Almost everywhere, livestock production is undergoing rapid change in response to political, social, economic, environmental and demographic pressures. In this paper, we will outline the characteristics of various production systems, review their prospects and identify the problems and challenges facing them. We will assess the likely impact of global climate change and of the new technologies and the new economic world order. Finally, we will try to predict what the 21st century will be like for the millions of people whose livelihoods depend on the grazing by domesticated livestock.