National and Regional Livestock Markets: Opportunities for Growth in SADC

Abstract

The last forty years has seen a continuous rise in the demand for meat, milk, and other livestock products worldwide. Fueled by trends such as increased urbanization, growing populations, and income growth in the urban areas, it is clear that this demand will only continue to grow (Delgado et al., 1999). Although decision makers in agriculture have traditionally focused on crop production, the growing demand for livestock products makes a good case for improving the livestock sector. Gains made here will ultimately benefit the many smallscale farmers who collectively own more than 80% of the livestock in southern Africa (SADC RISDP, 2006).