All
systems of livestock production are related to their environment. An
understanding of why a system has developed with its particular local
characteristics is essential to any study of livestock production or attempt to
improve on it.
Two
broad systems of livestock production are found in the tropics – the
traditional and modern production systems. Each has several subdivisions
depending on the prevailing climatic condition and other factors; environment,
farm system, legislation, level of urbanization, degree of adaptation, carrying
capacity of the grazing land.
In
this article, you should be able to identify and describe the 4 system of
livestock production as well as their sub-systems, enumerate factors
responsible for the adoption of a particular system of production under
different circumstances of time, season etc list specific advantages and
disadvantages associated with pastoralism and ranching systems of cattle
production, recommend feedlot system as a strategy to meet sudden rise in demand
of meat or live animals and appraise integration of system of livestock
production with other system agricultural production or practices.
4 Branches Systems of Livestock Production
The
4 branches system of livestock production includes;
1.
Extensive system of livestock production
2.
Intensive systems of livestock production
3.
Semi-Intensive system of livestock production
4.
Integrated livestock production system
1. Extensive System of Livestock Production
The
traditional systems of livestock husbandry have evolved in response to climate
and environmental factors. In the dry parts of the tropics, flocks or herd are
large and often travel long distances. These are also known as extensive
systems.
Under
extensive production systems, livestock graze and browse large area of land
that usually of a marginal nature, and unsuitable for other agricultural use.
The distance herds or flock move daily to reach out for water, shelter at night
and pastures dictates the degree sedentarisation or normadism.
A
sedentary system is one with fixed homestead and steady grazing area. A large
proportion of tropical stock of mixed or individual species of cattle, sheep
and goats may be grazed at same time. Within the extensive system two traditional
subsystems are recognized, both of which have utilized marginal areas
successfully for very long time. These are nomadism and transhumance.
Nomadism
was widespread until recently, when it is gradually transforming into sedentary
and transhumance systems. Camps are fixed at different points along their route
of movement depending upon the amount of water and pastures available in an
area. Political boundaries are often ignored in the course of movement, which
often pose legal constraints and other bottleneck.
Transhumance
is a common feature in the tropics involving movement and seasonal pastures as
well as between different regional areas. Apart from wide cycle movement,
altitude transhumance also occurs between lowland areas and mountain top in
response to temperature.
Shuttling
occur specially between very dry and wetter are to avoid pest infestation and
in search of good quality and abundant forage and water as well which vary with
change of seasons between north and south in the sub-Saharan Africa.
The practice is also found in other parts of Africa, South East Asia, Near and Middle East, Mediterranean Europe and South America. Several reasons other than a search for forage and water accessibility are given for transhumance practice that often take different modes.
Animals from different families may be grouped
together as one large flock or herd for transhumance expedition at a season,
hired herder may be employed and mixed species could be involved.
Goats
are often move to pastures at higher altitudes than cattle because they are
more agile and can better utilize sparse vegetation rather swampy in river or
lake basins.
The
migratory movement is not an aimless wondering as erroneously misconstrued in
the past, and number of reasons may be adduced, namely:
1.
To find feed and water throughout the year for stock
2.
To avoid flooding in wet areas
3.
To permit cropping of homestead for food production
4.
To avoid discuss and pest infestation known to be prevalent in a particular
place
5.
To afford full utilization of grazing resources perhaps lying waste in the
marginal land areas
6.
To conserve and improve soil fertility for seasonal agricultural production, in
which crop residues are consumed by livestock and in return they give manure.
The
Fulani in West Africa are transhumant. Their permanent bases are in areas of
seasonal crop production. In rainy season they move into tropical savanna and
desert scrub.
In
the dry season they return to cultivated areas where their animal feed on crop
residues; they may even extend further into the fringes of the forest zone.
Herd and flock sizes may range from 50 – 300 heads per herder with a herd or
flock composition of 55 per cent mature female, 25 per cent mature male and 25
per cent young female of sheep, cattle or goats.
2. Intensive Systems of Livestock Production
The
intensive system of livestock production refers to management practice where
animals are confined and by implication are not allowed to forage or fend for
themselves under similar practice; a fenced land area may be designated as
grazing area or paddock, usually adjacent to animal pens.
Often
high cost resulting from labour costs, expensive feed or a large investment in
one of the farm assets such as land, housing or animals, as such products are
highly priced and optimum productivity is desirable to achieve success or
economic viability. Housing facilities managed under hygienic condition are
provided for the stock and appropriate medications and health management are
offered as well.
Of significant importance is the provision of good quality feed that is sufficiently balanced in the required nutrients and quantity for animals to perform optimally under confinement.
Agro-industrial and farm wastes constitute bulk of feed material for intensively managed stock. Stall feeding is the method commonly adopted in this system.
Ranching System
The
system is commonly found in lowland, Europe, where it was introduced by
colonial settlers into Africa and Asia. Herds or flocks are kept in large sizes
on an expense of land area surrounding by fence.
Imported
breeds or their crosses are stocked under ranches. Pasture as the main source
of feed receives quality improvement in form of agronomic inputs, maintenance,
conservation and control.
As
such, control or rotational grazing form part of daily management practices to
ensure sufficient good quality forage throughout the year. Young ruminants are
engaged in creep grazing to permit access to better and uncontaminated pasture
than the older stock.
It
ensures sufficient time for the grazed portion to recover and to produce
sufficient re-growth. Specific time for recovery of a pasture is strictly
monitored to ensure production of non-fibrous but highly digestible forage.
A
rotational or spelling period of 7 weeks is usually allowed for vegetation
recovery of a paddock to obtain good nutritional balance.
However,
a longer period of 10 weeks is required to control parasitic worm infestation
in a paddock striking a balance between nutritional and veterinary requirements
may be difficult, however, behooves the manager to reach out for appropriate
compromise.
Ranching
system depends importantly on availability of god quality forage throughout the
year for encamped stock. It is therefore recommended for areas with sufficient
rainfall to support good growth of pasture grass.
Intensive Finishing
(Feedlot Fattening)
Intensive
finishing represents the final stage in meat-type production system for
ruminant animals. Although it requires relatively expensive inputs, the
high-valued products often derived more than compensate for the cost of
production.
The
span of intensive finishing is usually limited to a period of 3 – 4 months for
cropping a set of fatteners. Where large number of stock is to be kept together
in a confinement, standard of management needs to be high. Finishing units are
located in near towns and large urban centres where there is great demand for
meat.
The
intensity of management of inputs reflects on the high quality of feedstuff
offered and veterinary services administered, which to a large extent determine
functionality and success of the system. Intensive finishing is usually
programmed to target religious period when it becomes obligatory for adherents
of Islamic faith to slaughter animals for sacrifice.
3. Semi-Intensive System of Livestock Production
As
may be observed in the foregoing, varieties of subsystems have been adopted to
take advantage of low-cost of the extensive system and the high productivity of
the intensive as circumstances may dictate under different operational
environment. Many times, such adapted system takes the semblance of both the
intensive and extensive system, forming a hybrid system between the two.
Most
improvement efforts on the traditional extensive system deliberately avoid high
cost of the intensive system to adapt to semi-intensive system. Under such
intensive system, a limited number of stocks, specially breeding female animal
is confined only at night in an enclosure in which there is a shelter large
enough for all animals.
Grazing
with the animal is done daily using a paid labourer in addition to concentrate
feed, mineral salt block and clean water. Herd or flock has access to
cultivated leguminous fodder and vaccination against common diseases of
internal and external infections.
Breeding
is highly controlled. The system is amenable to integration with other farming
systems and may take different forms in terms of its operation under different
production conditions.
A
few of subsystem management practices under semi-intensive systems are listed
as follows:
•
Shepherded grazing
•
Grazing in fenced paddock
•
Tethering
•
Scavenging
4. Integrated Livestock Production System
A
good number of production practices have evolved which entail integration of
one system of livestock production with another agricultural practice.
Most
intensification practices of this nature are still on trial or at experimental
stage, while a few cases are actually in practice. Livestock production
intensification practices often arise from constraints of increasing pressure
of urbanisation, complementarily between systems in terms of benefit or
resource sharing, disposal of waste or manure, legislation etc.
An example of such intensification of livestock production is the age long practice of crop-livestock integration.
In this system, crops are grown
primarily or partly for feeding livestock and the latter is employed in land
preparation and soil fertility improvement using the animal manure.
In
urban areas, integration of poultry production with aquaculture fish farming
has been reported. The poultry droppings are channeled into the fish pond to
enrich and fertilize the pond to support growth of plankton on which fish feed.
In
places where ducks are kept as poultry, swimming in the pond also helps to
aerate the water. Similar intensification practice has been suggested between
small ruminant and pond fish production. In swamp rice growing area,
introduction of fish into irrigated rice farm has been suggested.
In
certain parts of Nigeria, crop residue (or leftover) of farm harvest are
deliberately preserved for grazers to feed on, and encamp for a specified
period to ensure sufficient dropping of manure for cereal production in the
next growing season. The advantage of intensification is considerable and be
enumerated.
Read on: INTRODUCTION TO ANIMAL AGRICULTURE
Conclusion on 4 Systems of Livestock Production (Extensive,
Intensive, Semi-Intensive & Integrated)
Several systems of livestock production abound in the tropical area in response to the environment.
The main traditional and modern systems with their subdivisions
arose from climatic and seasonal effects, farming systems, carrying capacity
etc. the advantages and problems of each system requires new modifications,
adaptation and adoption depending on certain factors and capacity of the
farmer.
All systems of livestock production evolve from dictates of the environment where production activities take place. Systems are developed in response to the environment to create convenience for productive performance.
There are two
systems of animal common in the tropical Africa – the traditional and modern
production systems each with several subdivisions.
The
attributes of extensive, intensive and semi-intensive systems continue to be
attractive to the practitioners despite their challenges. The challenges also
stimulate further search for new methods including integration method and
various modifications under the influence of certain controlling factors.
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