An Efficient And Prosperous Animal Agriculture
Livestock farming, raising of animals for use or for pleasure. In this article, the discussion of livestock includes both beef and dairycattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, mules, asses, buffalo, and camels; the raising of birds commercially for meat or eggs (i.e., chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, and squabs) is treated separately. For further information on dairy cattle breeds, feeding and management, seedairying. For a discussion of the food value and processing of meat products, see the article meat processing. For a further discussion of breeds of horses, see the article horse: Breeds of horses.
An efficient and prosperous animal agriculture historically has been the mark of a strong, well-developed nation. Such an agriculture permits a nation to store large quantities of grains and other foodstuffs in concentrated form to be utilized to raise animals for human consumption during such emergencies as war or natural calamity. Furthermore, meat has long been known for its high nutritive value, producing stronger, healthier people.
In the past, farmers could restore the fertility of their land by letting it lie fallow for several years or longer. But as population pressure increases, fallow periods decline or even disappear and different ways of maintaining food production are needed: enter the animal.
Animals are a crucial link in nutrient cycles, returning nutrients to the soil in forms that plants can readily use. They can bring nutrients from pasture and rangeland and concentrate them on crop land through their manure and urine. The animal manure and urine that people in the developed world see as pollutants are vital fertilizers in the developing world. Few smallholders can afford enough mineral fertilizers. Animals give farmers a reason to plant legumes as pastures and cover crops that protect the soil and restore its structure and fertility. According to a Winrock report in 1992, `The greatest threat to [the African rangelands] comes from human populations and expansion of cultivation. There is no solid evidence linking livestock to this process