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The purpose of this paper is to describe how the Livestock Library at the Australian Department of Agriculture and Food developed from being a dream to a reality into a virtual library that provides a single entry point to high quality research and extension information. It is a study of how information seekers with no library resources decided what information they valued and how they would like to access it; then went about developing a service to fulfil these criteria.

The paper is a narrative, describing the rationale for creating the Livestock Library and the methodology adopted to develop the service. The issues confronting the Livestock Library's owners now that the original three year funding period is over are also discussed.

The Livestock Library project demonstrates that with a relatively low level of funding it is possible to provide a substantial and valued online information service to support all participants in an industry. The Livestock Library is a “low maintenance” service that provides free access to the full text of three major Australian livestock industry conferences, access to articles published in five leading agricultural journals and facilitates access to information on selected high quality industry sites.

The project is original in its scope and success, providing a free service to suit all participants in Australia's livestock industry, in which all information accessed should be available in a single session. The Livestock Library demonstrates the merit of keeping a project simple – using “off the shelf” software and adopting library technology (federated searching) to target selected high quality web sites.

The purpose of this study is to understand the impact mechanism of grassland transfer on herders' production behaviour in pastoral areas. The impact of grassland transfer on herders' livestock production and grazing intensity is quantified.

Using the survey data collected for 356 herder households from Inner Mongolia and Gansu, China, quantile regression is employed to assess the heterogeneous effects of grassland transfer on livestock production and grazing intensity. To correct the potential self-selection bias of grassland transfer, the propensity score matching technique is used.

Results show that labour, percentage of livestock income and livestock stock are the main factors affecting herders' choice to transfer grassland. The positive effect of grassland transfer on livestock numbers on behalf of those who rented additional grassland is statistically significant but declines with livestock numbers. The sustainability-enhancing effect of grassland transfer on grazing intensity is significant, and the effect becomes larger amongst herder households with higher grazing intensity. The analysis on the impact mechanism shows that grassland transfer significantly promotes the adoption of sustainable grazing modes, such as rotational and seasonal rest grazing, which in turn increases herders' livestock numbers and decreases grazing intensity.

Few studies have empirically analysed the influence of grassland transfer on livestock numbers and grazing intensity. This study fills this gap by employing a quantile regression to assess the heterogeneous effects of grassland transfer on livestock numbers and grazing intensity, while accounting for self-selection bias. In addition, the authors have examined the influencing mechanisms under which grassland transfer impacts on livestock numbers and grazing intensity.

This paper examines the impact of livestock environment regulations (LERs) on the location dynamics of the livestock farming industry. Specifically, it tests whether a “pollution haven effect” (PHE) exists in the Chinese livestock industry.

The authors manually collected LERs data based on the frequency of livestock-related vocabulary in government work reports from 279 prefecture-level cities from 2010 to 2017. Using China's implementation of LERs since 2014 as a natural experiment, the authors employed difference-in-difference (DID) to avoid the endogeneity problem.

LERs have led to a decline in livestock production in regulated areas. Moreover, compared with areas with more stringent LERs – southern China and developed areas, areas where LERs are less stringent – northern China and undeveloped areas, attract more livestock industry. As a result, people in northern China and undeveloped areas are exposed to higher livestock pollution.

First, most empirical studies on PHE focus on industrial firms. PHE in the livestock industry has received limited attention. This paper aims to fill this gap. Second, this paper regards LERs as an endogenous process and uses the DID method to generate unbiased results. Third, this paper introduces a novel measurement of LERs based on the frequency of livestock-related vocabulary in government work reports from each prefecture city. Fourth, this paper uses prefecture-level data to analyze the PHE of LERs, and thus obtains more reliable results.

This paper aims to understand the perception of smallholder farmers on climate change, identify major livestock related climate change adaptation (CCA) strategies and their determinants in selected neighboring districts of Tigray and Amhara regions of Ethiopia.

A total of 416 household heads were involved in a questionnaire survey using a multistage sampling approach. To understand the socio-economic factors that influence farmers’ perception on climate change (CC) and/or variability, a binary logit model was used. Multinomial logit model was used to identify the determinants of smallholder farmers’ choices of adaptation strategies.

Milk reduction, weight loss, feed shortage and frequent animal disease outbreak were indicated as major impacts of CC on livestock production. About 86.2% of the farmers’ exercise CCA measures where livestock health care and management (25%), followed by livelihood diversification (21.5%) and shifting and diversification of livestock species (20.9%) were the top three adaptation measures implemented. Education, knowledge on CCA strategies, access to veterinary service and extension, market access, annual income, non-farm income, total livestock unit, sex of household head and household size were the major determinant factors to farmers’ choice of CCA.

Concerned authorities working in CC related sectors should give due attention to improve smallholder farmers’ access to extension and veterinary services, market access and climate information to enhance their adaptive capacity to CC impacts. In addition, incorporating climate change awareness trainings into the existing extension packages is crucial to enhance the awareness of farmers on climate change and implement appropriate adaptation strategies. Moreover, it is very essential to provide appropriate herd management and marketing strategy based on the production system to avoid the significant price reduction during drought periods.

Concerned authorities working in CC related sectors should give due attention to improve smallholder farmers’ access to extension and veterinary services, market access and climate information to enhance their adaptive capacity to CC impacts. In addition, incorporating climate change awareness trainings into the existing extension packages is crucial to implement appropriate adaptation strategies. Moreover, it is very essential to provide appropriate herd management and marketing strategy based on the production system to avoid the significant price reduction during drought periods.

This research is focused on smallholder crop-livestock farmers, livestock-based CCASs and presents the determinant factors to their choice of adaptation.

The nature of farm animals in the marginalized group of people is varying hurriedly. Livestock is used to add to cash earnings and increase food security, hence helping as a vital component in the household’s source of revenue strategies, particularly at marginal planter’s level. The present study was conducted to assess the numbers of livestock farmers in the study areas, their livelihood options, the value chain of the farmers in different marketing channels and recommendation for the sustainable value chain of the livestock production cycle.

The study precise the baseline condition of marginal livestock farmers for access to value chain activities in terms of inputs, outputs, support services, production, yield, income and enabling environment to enhance livestock farming in the study area. The study was conducted through stratified random sampling of the context using some research tools like in-depth interviews, household surveys, expert opinions and focus group discussions. Structured questionnaires were developed to address issues, such as current livestock farming practices, access to support services, capacity and income.

The study revealed that this particular context is lagging behind to establish goat value chain activities in the targeted areas. The farmers do not have basic knowledge of goat farming, and the value chain actors are not working properly. The support services are not appropriate to turn the goat farming production to a standard level. Value chain of livestock and livestock products and their goals are essential to develop an idea on learning, investment, market access, sales assurance and quality. Variation in institutional contexts of end markets is linked to different types of coordination and control of enabling environment throughout the chains.

Livestock is an integral component of the complex farming system in Bangladesh as it serves as not only a source of meat protein but also a major source of farm power services as well as employment. Strong private sector alliance along with public–private ventures can bring sustainable agriculture value chain development in these most vulnerable coastal communities in Bangladesh. Strengthening the weak financial structure, reducing power imbalances in the governance structures and low political intervention in community-level organizations, and resolving socio-cultural and environmental concerns are the major concerns on the development of value chains in Bangladesh.

Geographical position and climatic condition of Bangladesh have made her coastal areas one of the highly productive areas for livestock production in the world. The study was conducted through qualitative and quantitative analysis, and after finding the authors recommended for sustainable value chain approach for livestock production to a marketing channel for improving the financial condition and self-employment for the communities.

This paper analyzes changes in property rights, land uses, and culturally based notions of ownership that have emerged following privatization of communal land in a Samburu pastoralist community in Northern Kenya. The research challenges the strict dichotomy between private and collective rights often found in property rights literature, which does not match empirical findings of overlapping and contested rights.

Part of a long-term ethnographic project investigating the process of land privatization and its outcomes, this paper draws on in-depth interviews and participant observation conducted by the author in Samburu County in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Interviews focused on how land is being used post-privatization as well as emerging social norms regulating its use.

Privatization privileges male household heads with powers including rental, sale, and bequeathal of land. However, informal rights to land extend to women and other household members. Exercise of legal rights is frequently limited due to knowledge and resource gaps. New rules regulating land use have emerged, some represent sharp divergences from past practice while others support shared access to land. These changes challenge Samburu cultural notions of individuality, reciprocity, and shared responsibility.

This research illuminates complex changes following legal shifts in property rights and demonstrates the interactions between formal laws and informal social norms and cultural beliefs about land. The result is that privatization does not have easily predictable outcomes as some theories of property would suggest.

Empirical investigation of the effects of legal changes enables fuller understanding of the implications of policy changes that many governments are pursuing privatization with limited understanding of the likely effects.

This study identifies whether the Internet search index can be used as effective enough data to identify agricultural and livestock product demand and compare the accuracy of the prediction of major agricultural and livestock products purchases between these prediction models using artificial neural network, linear regression and a decision tree.

Artificial neural network, linear regression and decision tree algorithms were used in this study to compare the accuracy of the prediction of major agricultural and livestock products purchases. The analysis data were studied using 10-fold cross validation.

First, the importance of the Internet search index among the 20 explanatory variables was found to be high for most items, so the Internet search index can be used as a variable to explain agricultural and livestock products purchases. Second, as a result of comparing the accuracy of the prediction of six agricultural and livestock purchases using three models, beef was the most predictable, followed by radishes, chicken, Chinese cabbage, garlic and dried peppers, and by model, a decision tree shows the highest accuracy of prediction, followed by linear regression and an artificial neural network.

This study is meaningful in that it analyzes the purchase of agricultural and livestock products using data from actual consumers' purchases of agricultural and livestock products. In addition, the use of data mining techniques and Internet search index in the analysis of agricultural and livestock purchases contributes to improving the accuracy and efficiency of agricultural and livestock purchase predictions.

Different livestock production systems contribute to globally Greenhouse gas emission (GHG) emission differently. The aim of this paper is to understand variation in emission in different production systems and it is also important for developing mitigation interventions that work for a specific production system.

In this study, the authors used the Global Livestock Environmental Assessment interactive model (GLEAM-i) to estimate the GHG emission and emission intensity and tested the effectiveness of mitigation strategies from 180 farms under three production systems in northern Ethiopia, namely, pastoral, mixed and urban production systems.

Production systems varied in terms of herd composition, livestock productivity, livestock reproductive parameters and manure management systems, which resulted in difference in total GHG emission. Methane (82.77%) was the largest contributor followed by carbon dioxide (13.40%) and nitrous oxide (3.83%). While both total carbon dioxide and methane were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in urban production system than the other systems emission intensities of cow’s milk and goat and sheep’s meat were lower in urban systems. Improvement in feed, manure management and herd parameters resulted in reduction of total GHG emission by 30, 29 and 21% in pastoral, mixed and urban production systems, respectively.

This study is a first time comparison of the GHG emission production by various production systems in northern Ethiopia. Moreover, it uses the GLEAM-i program for the first time in the ex ante settings for measuring and comparing emissions as well as for developing mitigation scenarios. By doing so, it provides information on the various livestock production system properties that contribute to the increase or decrease in GHG emission and helps in developing guidelines for low emission livestock production systems.

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the multinational oil companies’ (MOCs) corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nigeria. Its special focus is to investigate the impact of the global memorandum of understanding (GMoU) on rural women livestock keepers in the oil producing communities.

This paper uses a quantitative methodology. Data were collected from primary sources using participatory rural appraisal technique. The use of participatory research technique in collecting CSR impact data especially as it concerns the small-scale women livestock keeper is based on the fact that it involves the people being studied, and their views on all the issues are paramount. The primary tool used for household survey (collection of the primary data) is a structured questionnaire which is divided into two sections. Section one of the instrument elicited information on the socio-economic characteristics of respondent, while the other section elicited information on the research questions. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data so as to answer the research questions and test the hypothesis. To answer the research questions, descriptive statistics of measurement of central tendency was used, and the results were presented in tables and charts. While in testing the hypothesis, inferential statistical tool-estimation of logit model (of receipt and non-receipt of MOCs CSR through the GMoU by rural women livestock keepers as function of selected socio-economic and domestic empowerment variables) was used.

The findings show that GMoU model is gender insensitive as rural women rarely have direct access to livestock interventions except through their husband or adult sons, which is attributed to the cultural and traditional context of the people, anchored in beliefs, norms and practices that breed discrimination and gender gap in the rural societies.

The structured questionnaire was directly administered by the researchers with the help of local research assistants. The use of local research assistants was because of the inability of the researchers to speak the different local languages and dialects of the many ethnic groups of Ijaws, Ogonis, Ikweres, Etches, Ekpeyes, Ogbas, Engennes, Obolos, Isokos, Nembes, Okirikas, Kalabaris, Urhobos, Iteskiris, Igbos, Ika-Igbos, Ndonis, Orons, Ibenos, Yorubas, Ibibios, Anangs, Efiks, Bekwarras, Binis, Eshans, Etsakos, Owans, Itigidis, Epies, Akokoedos, Yakkurs, etc., in the sampled rural communities.

If the rural women do not feel GMoUs efforts to eliminate discrimination and promote equality in the livestock sector, feminized poverty would create a hostile environment for MOCs in the region.

The livestock development in Nigeria can only succeed if CSR is able to draw on all the resources and talents and if rural women are able to participate fully in the GMoUs intervention plans and programs.

This research contributes to gender debate in livestock keeping from CSR perspectives in developing countries and rational for demands for social projects by host communities. It concludes that business has an obligation to help in solving problems of public concern, and that CSR priorities in Africa should be aimed toward addressing the peculiarity of the socio-economic development challenges of the country and be informed by socio-cultural influences.

This paper aims to investigate and review adaptation measures in the livestock sector from 21 African countries through literature survey and grounded theory approaches. The adaptation themes that emerged captured essence of measures and experience drawn from varied country submissions and contexts instituted to make the livestock sector climate compatible in as far as adaptation is concerned.

Literature survey approach was used on the impacts of climate change on livestock and a review of the submitted adaptation measures. The study used grounded theory approach to derive meaning from the retrieved information. The grounded theory was derived inductively through systematic collection and analysis of data pertaining to the submitted National Communications reports. The retrieved themes were then examined and interpreted to give meaning and draw conclusions through coding, conceptualizing, categorizing and theorizing.

Results identify eight adaptation themes: carrying capacity and policies; integrated pasture management; capacity building, extension, training, awareness and information sharing; livestock breeding, diversification and intensification; disease, vectors and parasites management; technology, innovation, research and development; alternative livelihood; and water supply. The findings show that African Governments have been implementing effective adaptation measures for food security through building a climate resilient livestock production system.

This study is one of the first to lead to recommendations that decision- and policymakers, private sectors, relevant stakeholders and government officials and scientists should play a key role in ensuring that adaptation measures reach farmers, herders at grassroots level. In addition, governments should create an enabling environment (policies) in climate change adaptation to improve food security. These recommendations might be helpful in many communities where adaptation to climate change is a pressing issue.