Global Agenda for Livestock Research

299 Pages·1998·1.17 MB·English

Global Agenda for Livestock Research
Global Agenda for Livestock
Research
Proceedings of the Consultation
for the South-East Asia Region
10–13 May 1995 IRRI, Los Banos, The
Philippines
edited by
C. Devendra and P. Gardiner
International Livestock Research
Institute
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Global Agenda for Livestock Research
Table of Contents
Preface
Summary report of the sub-regional discussion groups on livestock research
priorities
Welcoming remarks
F.A. Bernardo
Introduction to the objectives of the meeting
H.A. Fitzhugh
Globalising sustainable livestock production through research and technology:
Addressing the needs of the 21st century
R. Nazareno
Research and development for forage production and supply in South-East Asia
W. W. Stur
Priorities and direction for research for more effective use of feed resources by
livestock in Asia
R.A. Leng and C. Devendra
Major initiatives and contributions of FAO/APHCA to the development of
livestock agriculture in the Asia-Pacific region
M. Sasaki
Effective utilisation and conservation of indigenous animal genetic resources:
Development of the carabaos in the Philippines
L.C. Cruz
Integrated crop–fish–livestock improvements in South-East Asia
P. Edwards and D.C. Little
Setting priorities for agriculture research in Asia: A case study with rice
K S. Fischer
Priorities for socio-economic research in farming systems in South-East Asia
T.R. Paris and C.C. Sevilla
ICLARM's approach to the integration of aquaculture into sustainable farming
systems
M. Prein, C. Lightfoot and R.S.V. Pullin
Research priorities for improving animal agriculture by agro-ecological zone in
Malaysia
T.K Mukherjee
The Philippine livestock industry: The research and development agenda
P.S. Faylon and D.B. Roxas
Research priorities for improving animal agriculture by agro-ecological zone in
Indonesia
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A. Djajanegara and K Diwyanto
Research priorities for improving animal agriculture by agro-ecological zone in
Thailand
M. Wanapat
Research priorities for improving animal production by agro-ecological zone in
Vietnam
Vo-Tong Xuan, Le Thanh Hai and Chau Ba Loc
Research priorities for livestock agriculture by agro-ecological zone in Lao PDR
B. Bouahom
Research priorities for improving animal agriculture by agro-ecological zone in
Papua New Guinea
W.J.K. Bakau
Research priorities for improving animal agriculture by agro-ecological zone in Fiji
P. Manueli
Appendix I: Establishment of a native carabao gene pool
Appendix II: The carabao genetic improvement programme
List of Participants
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Global Agenda for Livestock Research
Preface
The Consultation reported here marks
...an historic event. For the first time in our history four Centres of the Consultative
Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and 13 countries in
South-East Asia are meeting to discuss priority areas and researchable issues in
livestock production. In South-East Asia, livestock production is intimately linked
to crop production. We cannot talk about livestock without relating it to feeds,
crops and the environment.
Dr Bernardo, IRRI's Deputy Director General, in his opening address.
The impetus for this "historic event" was the formation of the International
Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) which came into being on 1 January 1995, and
is the newest of the agricultural research centres supported by the CGIAR. The
institute was planned to be a new venture, capitalising on the major strengths in
animal health and animal production research which, respectively had been
pursued largely separately by the two previous livestock institutes, the International
Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD) and the International
Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA). ILCA and ILRAD had focused their research
predominantly on Africa. ILRI, however, is charged with a global mandate. The
strategic plans that underlie the foundation of ILRI name four principal research
goals for the new centre. In addressing animal agriculture in developing regions,
the institute's programmes were to aim to improve: (i) animal performance by
overcoming identified constraints to animal productivity through technological
research and conservation of genetic diversity amongst indigenous livestock
populations; (ii) productivity of the major livestock and crop–livestock production
systems typical of developing regions and to maintain, their long-term
productivity; (iii) the technical and economic performance of the livestock sector in
these regions to ensure the appropriate translation of production system
improvement into increased food security and economic welfare; and (iv) the
development, transfer and use of technology by national programmes and client
farmers in the agricultural systems of these regions.
These goals will serve as the framework of the development of ILRI's new
programme. They are applicable to the improvement of animal and agricultural
productivity globally. However, the combination of biotechnological, adaptive,
integrative and managerial solutions appropriate to the different problems,
production systems and regions will differ. A commitment to globalising and
integrating key aspects of research on livestock, largely through ecoregional
initiatives and links to other programmes, is central to ILRI's strategy and to
recommendations of other recent reviews of livestock in developing regions.
Selection amongst priority problems and regions therefore is paramount in the
efficient and effective use of CGIAR resources.
The Indicative Medium Term Plan for ILRI, developed in 1994, foresaw the need
to establish a global agenda for livestock research through consultations with
potential partners and clients in different developing country regions. The institute
set aside some of its core funds for this purpose in 1995.
Part of ILRI' s global mandate is to provide leadership in livestock agriculture on
behalf of the CGIAR. The identification of an agreed global agenda for livestock
research will support the development of appropriate research programmes by all
those concerned with livestock improvement around the world. The Consultation
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Global Agenda for Livestock Research
series does more than simply provide information for ILRI institutional planning
purposes. It also helps establish links with partner organisations, identifies each
institute's comparative advantage in addressing wider CGIAR initiatives in
agriculture, and the way advice and assistance might best be formulated to aid the
projects and programmes of other international and regional agencies. To start this
process, ILRI held, at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, a "global" Consultation
in January 1995.
The Nairobi meeting drew together senior representatives of livestock research and
development programmes in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the
Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean. These experts compared and
contrasted general requirements for livestock research in these regions. The
meeting gave ILRI the opportunity to present ILRI's global mandate against the
background of recent CGIAR and other reviews and to introduce the regional
consultation process which ILRI wished to develop. These first considerations of
the requirements for livestock research in different regions concurred on the
widespread importance of improving livestock feed resources and their utilisation.
This will be the subject matter for a separate CGIAR System-wide Livestock
Initiative (SLI).
Another initiative that is changing the fundamental approach of the international
research centres is a move towards ecoregionality, i.e., considering, in a unified
way, the agricultural requirements of areas linked by climate, geography, and other
similar biophysical constraints. CGIAR centres have been given new
responsibilities for developing coherent research programmes aiming to improve
agriculture in the ecoregions in which they are situated. ILRI therefore formulated
its consultation series within this ecoregional framework and has contacted both
CGIAR and other centres resident in the regions to participate in the deliberations.
ILRI plans to complete four regional consultations (two in Asia, one for the Latin
America and Caribbean region and one for the West Asia and North African
region). Because of the very large human and livestock populations in Asia and the
close integration of many livestock species into the farming systems of the region,
the planning documents for ILRI viewed Asia as the first major challenge for the
institute. With its sister centre, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI),
which has the responsibility within the CGIAR for the humid/subhumid ecoregion
of Asia, ILRI convened the present Consultation on livestock research needs for
this region. The Consultation—hosted by IRRI at their headquarters in Los Banos,
the Philippines—brought together representatives of national and international
programmes for agriculture and livestock improvement with donors interested in
the development of livestock and the broader South-East Asian region. The
Consultation was able to capitalise on this accumulated regional knowledge. It
helped to focus the requirements of livestock within the overall agricultural
development framework, to define the priority production systems (often quite
different from those in other continents), to examine the needs for livestock
research, and to help the international institutes and their national programme
partners define potential entry points for catalytic research on livestock.
The results of the Consultation can be seen through the collected papers and the
active discussions which are included in edited versions. ILRI was pleased to
receive much helpful advice from participants and their views and suggestions are
reported here. These statements should be interpreted as advice and not yet the
official programme of ILRI, as ILRI will follow through a series of regional
consultations and planning meetings before deciding on how best to use its
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international resources to tackle the priority research problems in partnership with
organisations in the region.
The congenial atmosphere and wide-ranging discussions allowed the inclusion of
impromptu talks, abbreviated transcripts of which have been added to the
proceedings. The round-up discussions leading to the definition of a set of priority
agro-ecological zones, their production systems and possible research thrusts to
improve the contribution of livestock in these systems are summarised in the pages
immediately following.
ILRI wishes to thank the directors and staff of IRRI for making this Consultation
possible by providing the good will and encouragement, the scientific framework
and the meeting venue. ILRI acknowledges with thanks additional financial
support from the Australian Council for International Agricultural Research
(ACIAR) for the staging of this important planning meeting and the opportunity to
develop scientific and personal contacts with agricultural research representatives
in the region. We are particularly grateful to all those who participated so
generously with their time and commitment to ILRI's learning and planning
processes.
We hope the proceedings will provide a tangible record of the success of the
Consultation in pursuit of the aims of the CGIAR and its national partners in
mounting integrated programmes of livestock and agricultural research for the
humid and subhumid ecoregion of South-East Asia.
C. Devendra
P. Gardiner
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Summary report of the sub-regional discussion
groups on livestock research priorities
The ASEAN working group
Members of the group: T. Komiyama (Chairman), L. Cruz, C. Devendra
(rapporteur), K. Diwyanto. A. Djajanegara, P. Faylon, R. Leng, T. Mukherjee, D.
Roxas, M. Sasaki, S. Sarobal, C. Sevilla, W. Stur and M. Wanapat
The group covering the states of the Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) had detailed discussions on defining the livestock priorities, research
requirements, and ways to achieve these with a focus on Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines and Thailand. Discussions were conducted in three sequential phases.
In the first phase, each country identified the priority agro-ecological zones (AEZs)
and, within each, priority production systems in which livestock research was
required. The results are presented in Table 1. It was interesting that there was a
consensual focus on the upland and lowland rainfed AEZs. Among the production
systems, rice/buffalo and rice/cattle (beef and dairy), maize/buffalo and cattle
systems, and the integration of ruminants with plantation crops (coconut, oil palm
and rubber) were prominent.
Phase two focused on specific researchable areas within production systems and
within each country. They are summarised in detail in the right hand column of
Table 1. The most prominent priority research areas were feeding and nutrition,
genetic improvement, methodologies for crop–animal interactions, and the
promotion of the adoption of appropriate technologies.
Phase three discussed the research requirements within individual countries.
Notwithstanding the variable research capacity in NARS and the availability of
funds, the general consensus among the countries was a requirement for the
following: adequate funding for livestock research, training, institutional
strengthening, and germplasm conservation and use.
The group addressed the priorities among the common production systems which
were established as:
• Rice/ruminants systems
• Tree crops/ruminants systems
• Integrated fish/livestock (ruminants and non-ruminants)/crops systems
• Field crops/ruminants systems (lowland rainfed and upland systems)
Of these, the integration of tree crops with ruminants was common to all countries,
whereas rice/ruminants, fish/livestock/crop systems, and field crops/ruminants
systems were common to two and to three countries.
Finally, discussion also focused on two related matters. One was linkages,
information exchange and sharing and the other was ILRI's presence in Asia. On
the first issue, the Philippine Carabao Centre (PCC) emphasised the need for closer
co-operation and regional effort among countries and between regions, and
indicated that PCC was ready to take this lead. Concerning ILRI's presence in Asia,
there was a general consensus for an office to reflect commitment to the region,
and undertake various Asian-led livestock activities.
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Global Agenda for Livestock Research
Table 1. Priority agro-ecological zone, production systems and researchable
areas in the ASEAN countries.
The Indo-China working group
Members of the group: Vo-Tong Xuan (Chairman), M. Anders, B. Bouahom, G.
Denning, P. Gardiner, H. Hayakawa, Le Than Hai, Liu Guodao, Douglas Little
(rapporteur), A. Qureshi, D. Steane, S. Som and D. Thomas
Discussion began following collation of country responses to priority allocations
for research in the format circulated during the meeting. From the responses and
the discussion the individual country priorities by AEZ and production system
were derived and are given Table 2. Setting of priorities among production systems
was then undertaken, showing marked consensus in support of research on small
holder crop/livestock systems in non-forested upland and lowland rainfed AEZs.
Of importance, but considered a secondary priority, was research on extensive
upland systems.
Production systems or individual component improvements of concern to specific
countries are given in the right hand column of Table 2. Specific importance was
accorded to: (a) the use of livestock to mitigate the effects of upland shifting
cultivation systems (Laos), (b) animal health concerns (Cambodia) and, (c)
intensive pig production in lowland rainfed areas (S. China and Vietnam). There
was also evidence of substantial consensus in certain commodity and disciplinary
requirements as follows:
• Integration of crop/livestock production systems was accorded highest
priority
• Feed resources:
1. Forage production including trees
2. Crop residue and by product utilisation
3. Feed conservation
4. Formulation and application of supplementary feed block, e.g. urea/molasses
• Animal genetic resources:
1. Breed improvement through exotic cross breeding
2. Selection within indigenous breeds
• Animal health improvement:
1. Improved disease diagnosis and treatment
2. Vaccine production and delivery
3. Evaluation of herbal treatment and traditional remedies
• Policy Analysis:
• Credit, pricing and livestock regulation (quarantine)
• Product quality control, environmental issues, and marketing
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Global Agenda for Livestock Research
• Institutional strengthening:
• Training
• Networking
• Technology transfer
• Institution establishment (Cambodia)
The highest priorities amongst the above were given to forage and feed production,
animal breed improvement, improved disease diagnosis and manpower
development in the countries of Indo-China through training in livestock
disciplines and integrated agricultural project management.
Table 2. Priority agro-ecological zone, production systems and researchable
areas in the Indo-China countries.
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Global Agenda for Livestock Research
Welcoming remarks
F.A. Bernardo
Deputy Director General (International Services), International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), P.O. Box 933, Manila, the Philippines
Mr Assistant Secretary for Livestock of the Philippines, Dr Vo-Tong Xuan our
member of the IRRI Board of Trustees, Dr Hank Fitzhugh, the Director General of
ILRI, donor representatives, distinguished research administrators of different
livestock research institutes and scientists of South-East Asia, warm welcome to
Asia and the Philippines. Unfortunately, IRRI's new Director General, Dr
Rothschild, is in Australia finishing a few things before completely devoting his
time to IRRI. He sends his regrets for not being able to be with us this morning.
Today is an historic event. For the first time in our history, four international
research centres of the CGIAR—ILRI, ICLARM, CIAT and IRRI—and 13
countries in South-East Asia are meeting to discuss priority areas and researchable
issues in livestock production. In South-East Asia, livestock production is
intimately linked to crop production. We cannot talk about livestock without
relating it to feeds, crops and the environment.
This consultation is actually part of our commitment under the CGIAR system to
develop an inter-centre collaborative research and development programme in the
humid and semi-humid tropics of Asia, which is IRRI's responsibility. In this
particular consultation, ILRI has taken the initiative as it is now mandated to
develop a global research programme on livestock. Hopefully, participation of
other international centres, as well as national agricultural systems (NARS), will
help ILRI develop a relevant research programme, with major research thrusts that
can help with the problems of South-East Asian countries.
Times have changed; we are now facing new challenges. With the approval and
implementation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) each
country will have to be more competitive. Each country must capitalise on its
comparative economic advantage, and increase its efficiency in crop and livestock
production. Each one will strive to increase productivity using the best available
technologies and management systems.
The donor community is also changing. Most of our donors are now expecting us
to give greater attention to conservation of natural resources, and environmental
issues. Of course we in the CGIAR centres appreciate the importance of increasing
food production, through improved technology, without overlooking sustainability
issues. We must develop technologies that are technically feasible, environmentally
safe, resource-use efficient, cost effective and profitable.
Need for collaboration in research and development
World population is increasing by 90 million people every year. In Asia, the
challenge of producing more food is complicated by limited arable land. In fact, in
some countries land resources for food production have been decreasing due to
rapid urbanisation and industrialisation.
There is no doubt that collaboration in research and development is the key to food
security. Food security is not only a great challenge, but one which will continue
and we can only solve it through co-operation. We cannot afford to work on this
challenge in isolation. We can succeed in meeting it only if we work together.
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