Ecologically and Socially Sustainable Livestock Development in Marginal Areas

“Marginal areas” are perceived as difficult and unproductive landscapes, always under the threat of drought, desertification and poverty. Yet, both dryland and high altitude marginal areas have an extraordinary output of livestock products; in the efficiency of producing human-edible protein they far surpass more fertile areas. This productivity under adverse climatic conditions rests on sophisticated strategies and social institutions developed by pastoral communities to deal with variability in the availability of resources. It depends on the use of animal genetic resources that are adapted to make best use of local vegetation and can cope with seasonal variations in availability. Livestock production in marginal areas is based on the principle of opportunistic and optimal use of available resources; it differs fundamentally from the principles of mainstream animal science in which everything is measurable and predictable. The first requisite for ecologically and socially sustainable livestock development in marginal areas is recognition of this fact. Secondly, interventions should focus on enhancing the opportunistic use of resources whose availability is unpredictable. Building on this principle, further essential policy measures include support for mobility and modern communication, securing the commons, payment for environmental services as well as value addition and dedicated marketing channels for the high quality livestock products generated. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) provides the legal framework for such an approach and Biocultural Community Protocols as mandated by the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing are an important first step towards leveraging such supportive measures

Agricultural diversification as an adaptation strategy

The role of agricultural biodiversity for sustaining ecosystem services crucial for food and agriculture becomes particularly relevant in the face of climate change, and has been widely recognised as a central part of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) since the concept was first launched in 2010. The utilisation of agricultural biodiversity in risk reduction and climate adaptation strategies has continued to attract attention, particularly as a component of micro-level strategies oriented towards diversification of production on farm, and land management measures aiming to improve resilience at landscape scale. Despite ample evidence of the value of agricultural biodiversity (including genetic resources) in climate change adaptation, the scalability of biodiversity-based measures is limited as they are often context specific and may have a lower relative value when compared to other options. Public policies can also play an important role in facilitating or hindering the adoption and spread of measures based on agricultural biodiversity

Gender equality, resilience to climate change, and the design of livestock projects for rural livelihoods

Currently, there is growing interest in how livestock projects can contribute to resilience to the effects of climate change. In this article we recommend a shift away from gross productivity to sustainability, via the use of thrifty local breeds, with an additional emphasis on improving survival of young animals. These animals, due to their local adaptations, are more likely to be resilient to climate change. There is a gender dimension to these proposals, since smaller animals and local breeds are more likely to be perceived by communities as suitable for husbandry by women. We recommend a re-orientation towards an explicit gender-equality focus for these projects

The Aftermath of the Levantine Neolithic Revolution in the Light of Ecological and Ethnographic Evidence

At the end of the 7th millennium the southern Levant witnessed the sudden abandonment of most of its previously thriving PPNB villages. While this phenomenon has long been attributed to external factors such as climatic change and invasions, it is suggested here that the early Neolithic economic system of village-based mixed farming was at least a contributing factor in this development. The brittle environments of most of the sites were not able to withstand the ecological pressure which human early agricultural and pastoral activities entailed : Continuous cultivation of the same crops led to loss of soil fertility and accelerated erosion, sedentary animal husbandry resulted in a degeneration of natural pasture. Ethnographic evidence is presented that early domesticated animals, especially goats, may have interfered with cultivation and required some degree of mobility for their well-being. This gradual loss of agricultural productivity could be alleviated to a certain extent by an expansion of the site catchment area, but after a critical radius and population size had been exceeded, the dilemma could only be resolved by a dispersal of the inhabitants into smaller and economically specialized groups.A la fin du VIIe millénaire, le Levant sud fut témoin de l'abandon soudain de la plupart des villages PPNB jusque là prospères. Ce phénomène a longtemps été attribué à des facteurs externes, changements climatiques ou invasions; il est suggéré ici que le système de production du Néolithique ancien, fondé sur une économie villageoise mixte, agricole et pastorale, contribua à l'ampleur de ce mouvement. Les environnements fragiles de la plupart des sites furent dans l'impossibilité de résister à la pression écologique provoquée par les activités des premiers agriculteurs-pasteurs. La culture continue des mêmes plantes provoqua une baisse de fertilité des sols, tout comme l'élevage sédentaire entraîna la dégénérescence des herbages naturels. Quelques exemples ethnographiques font apparaître que les premiers animaux domestiques (chèvres en particulier) étaient en compétition avec les cultures et provoquèrent une certaine mobilité. Cette perte graduelle de la productivité agricole put dans une certaine mesure se trouver atténuée du fait de l'extension de la zone d'exploitation; toutefois dès que fut franchi le seuil critique des limites géographiques et dépassé celui de la population, le dilemme ne pouvait trouver une solution que dans la fragmentation des groupes et une plus grande spécialisation du point de vue économique.Köhler-Rollefson I. The Aftermath of the Levantine Neolithic Revolution in the Light of Ecological and Ethnographic Evidence. In: Paléorient, 1988, vol. 14, n°1. pp. 87-93

Changes in Goat Exploitation at 'Ain Ghazal between the Early and Late Neolithic : A Metrical Analysis

By examining the postcranial size development of the goat population during the Neolithic at 'Ain Ghazal, it is established that while there is a distinct decrease in median size between the two phases, there is no change in minimum size. It is also noted that this is due to the one-sided elimination of the larger individuals, i.e. to a decrease in variability. This phenomenon is attributed to a shift in exploitation pattern which results in the slaughtering of practically all male goats before they reach adulthood. It is concluded that the size decrease often associated with domestication may largely be due to a bias in metrical archaeozoological techniques which omit the bones of immature individuals from their calculations, rather than the reflection of an actual size diminution of the entire goat population.A 'Ain Ghazal l'examen de l'évolution de la taille des ossements post-crâniens des chèvres au cours du Néolithique permit ďétablir un déclin net de la taille moyenne entre les deux phases, mais pas de changement dans la taille minimum. Ceci pourrait être la conséquence d'une élimination préférentielle des plus grands individus, qui occasionnerait un abaissement du taux de variabilité. Ce phénomène est attribué à un changement du type ď exploitation qui résulte en un abattage quasi-systématique des mâles avant l'âge adulte. Aussi la diminution de la taille des individus, souvent associée à la domestication pourrait-elle en grande partie être la conséquence d'une tendance des techniques de mesure archéozoologiques à omettre de leurs calculs les ossements d'individus immatures plutôt que le reflet d'une réelle diminution de la taille d'une population de chèvres prise dans son ensemble.Köhler-Rollefson Ilse. Changes in Goat Exploitation at 'Ain Ghazal between the Early and Late Neolithic : A Metrical Analysis. In: Paléorient, 1989, vol. 15, n°1. pp. 141-146