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Small Ruminant Production: Challenges and Opportunities for Poverty Alleviation in West Asia and North Africa

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Title Small Ruminant Production: Challenges and Opportunities for Poverty Alleviation in West Asia and North Africa
 
Creator Aw-Hassan, Aden A.
 
Contributor Shomo, Farouk
Iniguez, Luis
 
Subject west asia
production growth
exporters
consumption growth
 
Description Small ruminant production is a major factor in national economies throughout West Asia and North Africa (WANA). This paper examines past trends in the region's small ruminant sector, the forces driving these trends, and the implications for the livelihoods of the poor. It identifies technological, institu- tional and policy issues that should be considered in order to improve the per- formance of the sector and reduce its environmental impact.

Production growth was driven by improved veterinary services, provision of feed subsidies and credit, increased utilization of alternative feed resources, and progressive intensification of pro- duction systems. Consumption growth was driven by (human) population growth, income growth and urbaniza- tion. Small ruminant populations in WANA have grown rapidly in the last three decades, but the gap between pro- duction and consumption is widening. There is a large and expanding meat trade in WANA, but the region's
exporters are struggling to maintain market share, because their competitive- ness (relative to exporters from outside WANA) is limited by structural and technical constraints. A number of prac- tical, tested technologies are available that can improve productivity; while competitiveness can be improved through government and regional poli- cies.

While small ruminants provide many benefits, they are also a major contribu- tor to rangeland degradation in WANA. This issue must be addressed.
Simultaneously, technological improve- ments and policy changes are necessary to improve overall sector performance, and facilitate market participation by small-scale producers. Further research is needed on markets, institutions and policies to inform policy makers, and enable traders and producers to improve their decision-making.
 
Date 2024-04-19T17:10:33Z
2024-04-19T17:10:33Z
 
Type Internal Report
 
Identifier https://mel.cgiar.org/reporting/downloadmelspace/hash/9e977f4e462bf247773aead021cab9b7/v/4a2577e95a6c7668ac184d0690599708
Aden Aw-Hassan, A. F. Shomo and L. Iniguez. 2008. Small ruminant production: challenges and opportunities for poverty alleviation in West Asia and North Africa. ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria. iv + 23 pp.
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/69248
Open access
 
Language en
 
Rights CC-BY-SA-4.0
 
Format PDF
 
Publisher International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)