Theoretical and practical considerations in the development of a methodological framework for evaluating sustainability of low-input ruminant farming systems in developing countries

The sustainability of low-input ruminant farming systems remains poorly understood and evaluation frameworks that adequately capture their complexity are lacking. The multiple goals of producers, multipurpose roles of ruminants, credence goods and services of the system are omitted in existing frameworks. In that context, development of a novel comprehensive framework for evaluating the sustainability of the low-put ruminant farming system is important. The current manuscript, therefore, provides an overview of a systemic process for developing a participatory and interdisciplinary methodological framework to measure sustainability of the low-input ruminant farming system. The proposed framework provides guidance on potentially relevant variables and their subcomponents, and for designing appropriate data collection tools, conducting field measurements and analysing results. The suggested framework captures the complex interrelationships within and between dimensions and indicators of sustainability and apply a system dynamics approach to integrate the indicators into an overall measure of the sustainability of a system.The Department of Science and Technology-National Research Foundation (DST-NRF) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Food Security and NRF – Research and Technology Fund.http://www.journals.elsevier.com/environmental-and-sustainability-indicatorshj2020Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

A conceptual framework for understanding ecosystem trade-offs and synergies, in communal rangeland systems.

Communal rangelands are a global resource of significant benefit to society through the provision of critical ecosystem goods and services such as carbon sequestration, water and livestock forage. The relative importance of the ecosystem goods and services provided by communal rangelands is driven by the social and environmental priorities of a range of different stakeholders at the local, regional and national level. Understanding the potential ecosystem service trade-offs (and synergies) is vital for making informed and inclusive decisions as part of the process of stakeholder engagement, both in goal setting as well as evaluating the appropriateness of outcomes in rangelands. However, application of trade-offs approaches to communal rangelands, has frequently been limited by a lack of adequate stakeholder engagement to help define important factors such as the diverse objectives of end users and the broader institutional and policy environments that frame them. To help address this, we propose a framework that conceptualises the links between different actors and trade-offs at three key levels, using communal rangelands in South Africa as a case study. Firstly, we explore environment trade-offs between key ecosystem services, largely determined through public sector engagement in the formulation of environmental policy. Secondly, we examine the potential for environmental policies to create community-environment trade-offs between the needs of local communities and those of society more broadly. Thirdly, we consider community trade-offs reflecting the many different social and economic priorities of people living in communal systems. We suggest that the framework will find greatest application in the initial process of determining potential ecosystem service trade-offs and associated land use scenarios with key stakeholders, and then subsequently in connecting the trade-offs back to these stakeholders, following analysis, as part of a ‘discussion support’ process. We also discuss the broader applicability of this approach to rangelands systems outside of South Africa

Sustainability of smallholder cattle production and its vertical integration into the formal beef market value chain in South Africa

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A survey to assess the sustainability and marketing opportunities for smallholder cattle production systems was conducted by consulting with a total of 95 smallholder cattle producers in Ncorha and Gxwalibomvu communities in the Eastern Cape Province (ECP) of South Africa. In addition, a total of 18 surrounding beef retailers, 5 abattoirs that supplied beef to these retailers and 155 beef consumers who bought beef from these retailers between February 2013 and February 2014 were also interviewed using pretested structured questionnaires. The surveys established the perception of beef traders and consumers on the development of a Natural beef (NB) brand and indicated the willingness of participants to support the development of a NB brand. The results indicated that a smallholder beef cattle production system was socially and environmentally conditionally sustainable but economically not sustainable. Overall, the system was conditionally sustainable. Cattle herd size was bigger in Ncorha than in Gxwalibomvu (13.7±1.9 vs. 11.3 ± 1.9 heads of cattle, respectively). Smallholder producers from both sites sold an average of two cattle per year. Young farmers (40 years old), traditionalists and larger households (>5 members). Similarly, households with access to extension services, owners of smaller cattle herds ( 40 jaar oud), tradisionele boere en groter huishoudings (> 5 lede). Net so het huishoudings met toegang tot voorligtingsdienste, eienaars van klein troppe (<10 beeste) en boere wat aan die laer inkomstegroep behoort het (<R3000), ʼn groter potensiaal gehad om vee te verkoop. Meer as 70% van verbruikers was bereid om vir 'n NPB produk te betaal sodra dit beskikbaar is op die mark, maar was nie bereid om 'n premie vir die NPB handelsmerk te betaal nie. Verbruikers se bereidwilligheid om NPB produkte te koop en ʼn premie te betaal vir die handelsmerk was deels beïnvloed deur geslag, ouderdom, bron van inkomste en die meeste deur vleis voorkeur en frekwensie van vleis verbruik. Kleinhandelaars was nie bereid om deel te neem aan die ontwikkeling van ʼn NPB handelsmerk nie. Bees handelaars het egter voorgestel dat kommunale voerkrale, groepsbemarking en karakterisering van vleis van beeste gevoer op natuurlike weiding om die unieke kwaliteitseienskappe van die tipe vleis vas te stel, potensieel afsette en ekonomiese volhoubaarheid van kleinboere produksie beeste stelsels kan verbeter. Die studie het bevind dat kleinboer veeproduksiestelsels in die Oos-Kaap Provinsie voorwaardelik volhoubaar is en dat geleenthede vir die integrasie van kleinboer beesprodusente in die formele vleisbeesmark waardeketting in die karakterisering van beesvleis geproduseer op natuurlike weiding, voerkrale en groepsbemarking, vervat is

Effect of duration of early-age thermal conditioning of broiler chickens on production and heat tolerance

The main objective of the study was to investigate the appropriate duration of early age thermal conditioning that would improve heat tolerance in broiler chickens with a minimum reduction in production performance. 200 commercial Hubbard broiler chicks were randomly allocated to five treatments. Each of the five treatments was replicated four times, with 10 chicks per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). The treatments consisted of birds exposed to air temperature of 37 ± 1 oC for 3, 6, 12 and 24 hrs at 4 days of age against the control that was raised under standard conditions (35 oC in week 1, and reduced by 3 oC every week until room temperature. Temperatures were reduced by raising the positions of infrared lamps until the desired air temperatures were reached. Early age thermal conditioning significantly (P 0.05) in feed conversion ratio (FCR) between thermal conditioned birds and the control. Birds exposed to 12 and 24 hours of thermal conditioning had a significantly higher (P < 0.05) feed intake than the control and other treatments while birds exposed to 12 hours achieved the highest average numerical final weight (1.93 kg) compared to 1.89 kg (24 hours), 1.86 kg (6 hours) and 1.84 g (3 hours), 1.80 kg (control). Birds in the control group had a significantly higher (P < 0.01) cloacal temperature than the mean of the birds in treatment 1 to treatment 4.The birds in the control group also had a higher mortality rate (15%) than the rest of the treatments. The appropriate duration of thermal conditioning that improves production performance is 12 hours. Sensible heat loss contributes significantly to the overall heat budget of broiler chickens; in this study it was responsible for dissipating up to 30% per degree of temperature difference of the overall excess heat that needs to be dissipated by heat stressed broilers. Birds exposed to early age thermal conditioning significantly (P < 0.01) lost more heat through convection and radiation than their non-conditioned counterparts, thereby achieving better tolerance to heat

Towards a system-specific framework for the sustainability evaluation of low-input ruminant meat production systems in developing countries

bstract The concept of sustainability is associated with numerous evaluation approaches making various claims. To their credit, the evaluation approaches contributed to the evolution of the concept from a rather vague and mostly qualitative notion to progressively being defined in more quantitative terms. The diversity of low-input ruminant meat production systems make the use of a single blueprint for sustainability evaluation completely impractical. Most sustainability evaluation approaches fail to adequately and accurately take account of the realities of the low-input production systems. For example, the multifunctionality of ruminant livestock and other credence values of rangeland-based production systems are rarely considered in most sustainability evaluations. Development of a holistic and transdisciplinary system-specific approach that effectively address the complexity and realities of the low-input production could be important. This review examines the strength and weaknesses of currently available sustainability evaluation frameworks and suggests parameters for a system-specific evaluation framework for low-input ruminant meat production.The Department of Science and Technology-National Research Foundation (DST-NRF) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Food Security (grant number: 140102).http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolindhj2019Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

Advancing a holistic systems approach for sustainable cattle development programmes in South Africa : insights from sustainability assessments

Efforts to exploit the central roles of cattle to drive agriculture and rural development in low-income countries recorded limited success owing to their narrow focus on modernizing and commercializing low-input cattle farming. Most programs failed to take cognizance of the heterogeneous range of complex relationships between the environmental, economic, social and institutional challenges that limit low-input cattle farming. The current qualitative literature review evaluates the environmental, economic and social sustainability delivery impacts of the leading cattle development programs in the low-input farming sector in South Africa using a holistic systems approach. A mixed method procedure involving stratified sampling was used to allocate local and international-based programs while, purposive sampling was used to select programs with a wider scale of operation. The review then draws on the crosscutting key constraints emerging from the case studies to provide a better grounding for subsequent sustainability sensitive recommendations. Local-based cattle development programs advanced more market-led interventions while, their international-based counterparts had more interventions including, soil and rangeland improvement. The narrow focus by both local and international developmental programs is inadequate to address a wide array of environmental, economic, social, technical and institutional challenges faced by low-input cattle producers in South Africa.The Department of Science and Technology-National Research Foundation (DST-NRF) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Food Security [140102].https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjsa212021-01-23hj2020Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS

Beef traders’ and consumers’ perceptions on the development of a natural pasture-fed beef brand by smallholder cattle producers in South Africa

Beef traders’ and consumers’ perceptions on the development of a natural pasture-fed beef (NPB) brand by smallholder cattle producers were investigated. In total, 18 meat traders (five abattoirs and 13 beef retailers) and 155 beef consumers were interviewed using structured questionnaires. All meat traders had the potential but were not willing to support the development of a NPB brand citing smallholder farmers’ limited ability to supply sufficient volumes of high-quality cattle. Consumers (81%) were prepared to purchase NPB upon availability on the market but were not willing (80%) to pay a brand premium. Logistic regression model results showed that consumers’ willingness to buy NPB and pay a premium were influenced (P &lt; 0.05) by gender, household size, income source, meat preference, meat consumption frequency, money spent on beef, frequency of beef purchases and consumption. Overall, beef traders and consumers held positive impressions regarding the development of a NPB brand by smallholder cattle producers but were not willing to support its development. Positive impressions held by value chain partners on the development of a NPB brand provide a basis for advancing development of a NPB brand. Initial efforts should enhance farmers’ capacity to supply sufficient volumes of high-quality cattle.Keywords: beef traders, branding, consumers, natural pasture-fed beef, perception