2.1. Cattle Development and Small-holder Farmers in Cambodia
2.1.1. Cattle Production in Cambodia
Livestock in Cambodia makes an important contribution to the agricultural sector. It accounts for 20.9% of agricultural GDP and contributes 7.6% to GDP (FAO, 2005a). Most livestock, including cattle, poultry, and pigs are raised by small-holders, for whom they serve as a source of cash income and provide a subsistence source of protein. Moreover, they are used for draught power, and are used as an asset or savings bank (Harding et al., 2007). The livestock production increased moderately over recent years (EIC, 2006 and 2007). The growth rate of livestock production was estimated at 6.6%, 4.5%, 5.8% and 8.2% in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively (NIS, 2007).
Based on the contribution of different species to total livestock units (LU), the cattle and buffalo population dominated other species (poultry and pig) over decades but its share has decreased in recent years (Figure 2.1). Cattle and buffalo population accounted for 90%, 80%, 78%, and 76% of LU in 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2002 respectively. In terms of total meat production, the contribution of beef and buffalo meat has decreased dramatically in recent years and has been supplanted by pig meat (Figures 2.1 and 2.2). It is estimated that the share of cattle and buffalo meat was approximately 55% in 1980, but it declined to 34% in 1990 and 2000 and to 31% in 2002. The reason of this pattern is that agricultural mechanization has been limited by high gasoline price while the cultivation area has increased, resulting in an increased demand for draught (Ballard and Thun, 2007). Thus this trend explains that the share of cattle and buffalo is becoming less important to total meat...
... middle of paper ...
...education, farm size and age of farmers (Wanyama, 2005). Traditional research approach of interview with key farmers, identification of problems by development workers, development of technical solution by researchers and demonstration of technologies by model-farmers did not result in spontaneous adoption (Roothaert, et al., 2003; Roothaert, et al., 2005). Some challenges of introducing forages to farmers include: cultivating forages is a new concept for farmers, benefits are long-term and indirect, planting material is not easily unavailable, etc (Roothaert, et al., 2003). Many authors showed that the participatory approach to forage technology is the key successful for the adoption among small-holder farmers (Horne et Stür, 1998; Horne et al., 2000; Stür, et al., 2000; Shelton et al., 2001; Roothaert, et al., 2003; Horne and Stür, 2003; Roothaert, et al., 2005).
The. The "Meat Industry" Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, n.d. -. Web.
By implementing new farming techniques provided with the new technological advances in machines we can see abundant harvest in even the poorest third world countries. For example, the Green Revolution has already showed admirable progress in the northern part of India ever since it took start in 1950. By 1997, northern India increased its grain production by 37 percent. This has proven that traditional farming methods are being rendered obsolete. And because by the year 2000, there will be half the land per person in developing countries as there was in 1970, we need to apply ultra-efficient methods to sustain the growing need. Not only does the Green Revolution enhances food output, it also preserves the environment.
The world’s demand for cheap processed beef has given Brazil the rationale to convert valuable Amazon rainforest to low yield pastureland. Since 2004, Brazil has become the world’s largest exporter of beef, controlling 41% of the global meat exports (Valdes). Most of the beef produced on cattle ranches in Brazil is exported to countries like the UK and Russia (Valdes). Beef exports have elevated cattle ranching to the leading cause of deforestation in Brazil as it is now responsible for 60% of the deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon (BBC).
There is much to be said about how exactly meat is being produced. In the present day, there are hardly any farms out there that still practice the traditional and environmental - friendly way. Animal agriculture is widely used all over the world and greatly contributes to climate change. Meat production leads to global warming because of the combination of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The process of raising animal is the major source to these harmful gases. It is vital to save the world from the worst impacts of climate change by reducing meat consumption. However stopping this meat eating system is extremely difficult, given that we had been consuming meat ever since our ancestors domesticated animals for that purpose. Over the decade Animal agriculture has been getting worse and worse. In 1973 when the Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz announced ‘’ what we want out of agriculture is plenty of food’’, overproduction was encouraged and lowering the price of meat was carried out; this originally started when there was a massive increase in corn (Wolfson). In order to keep up this mass production of meat, multiple pounds of grains are fed to livestock. Livestock industries depended on corn and soy based food and used over half of the artificial fertilizer used in the United States (McWilliams).
2003) and already more than half of the land suitable for pastures is subject to overgrazing and erosion, posing a risk for food production in the near future. The erosion level of pastures and rangeland exceeds the erosion rate of cropland by roughly six times, meaning, that the land becomes unusable for agricultural use at higher rates when used for meat production rather than vegetarian foods. Moreover, croplands are not exclusively used for human consumption but animal feed accounts for 40 percent of the harvest. Thus, livestock requires land to graze while also depending on land to produce feed. The FAO (FAO, 2012) estimates, that due to the high land-use of conventional agriculture and an increasing demand for omnivorous products such as beef and milk, more than 10 billion hectares of forest are lost to expand pastures and grasslands to feed
Increasing consumer sentiment towards the negative health effects of red meat, timed with increasing inventories of product supplied from Canada and Mexico as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has caused prices in the consumer market to plummet. (Mohr, 1999) As a result, ranchers were seeing that their finished product was commanding lesser dollar values while their inputs of feed and medication was remaining the same or rising. Another factor contributing to the shrinking profit margins of beef producers was the overall consistency and quality of the meat.
One of the biggest controversies with livestock production is that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that get released into the atmosphere. Its assumed that cars produce most if not all the greenhouse gas emissions however livestock has a big say in air pollution. According to Cassandra Brooks, writer for the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, 18 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions are due to livestock production. This is nearly 20% and can be greatly reduced if people reduced their demand for meat. The Environmental Working Group used a tangible variable for Americans stating “if everyone in the U.S. ate no meat or cheese just one day a week, it would be like not driving 91 billion miles – or taking 7.6 million cars off the road” (Goffman 9). Instead of taking the bus to work, switching your diet around could make just as much of an impact on the environment.
“Sustainable agriculture involves food production methods that are healthy, do not harm the environment, respect workers, are humane to animals, provide fair wages to farmers, and support farming communities” (Table, 2009). Local farming methods do not always use sustainable methods. Researching about the methods local farmers use is important in the decision to buy locally.
There are also environmental and economic reasons for becoming vegetarian. Some people are not aware of these reasons, but a lot of environmental destruction is linked to meat production, especially cattle farming. Huge areas of f...
...t too expensive for the farmers. The second step is that broader awareness is required. According to Sarah Alexander, “different farmers trust different sources, such as vendors, crop consultants, and university extension services.” Farmers are going to need to be open minded to new things, in order to feed the human race. The last step is farmers need the right incentives. Farmers want to know about the good that they are doing. Farmer’s want to know how they are saving the environment, and how they are producing more food, and feeding more people than they were before.
...earch and extension, rural infrastructure, and market access for small farmers. Rural investments have been sorely neglected in recent decades, and now is the time to reverse this trend. Farmers in many developing countries are operating in an environment of inadequate infrastructure like roads, electricity, and communications; poor soils; lack of storage and processing capacity; and little or no access to agricultural technologies that could increase their profits and improve their livelihoods. Recent unrest over food prices in a number of countries may tempt policymakers to put the interests of urban consumers over those of rural people, including farmers, but this approach would be shortsighted and counterproductive. Given the scale of investment needed, aid donors should also expand development assistance to agriculture, rural services, and science and technology.
It is ridiculous to imagine that 80% of all of the world’s agricultural land is being used for animal production. These resources could be used to feel millions of hungry/malnourished families (Duden).
As agriculture has become more intensive, farmers have become capable of producing higher yields using less labour and less land. Growth of the agriculture has not, however, been an unmixed blessing. It, like every other thing, has its pros and cons. Topsoil depletion, groundwater contamination, the decline of family farms, continued neglect of the living and working conditions for farm labourers, increasing costs of production, and the disintegration of economic and social conditions in rural communities. These are the cons of the new improved agriculture.
(The Sustainability of Irish Agriculture, n.d.) Sustainability is very important on my home farm. Practices have been put in place that won’t cause harm to the environment. My home farm is a small, family enterprise and I feel that new approaches are needed in order to maintain the farms sustainability status. Non-renewable inputs that are harmful to the environment or to the health of farmers should be minimised. As well as this, farmers have knowledge and skills that could be put into use, therefore substituting human capital for costly external outputs. Sustainable agriculture outcomes can be positive for food productivity, reduced pesticide use and carbon balances. (Agricultural Sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence, 2007) In this essay, I will discuss the principles and practices of sustainable agriculture, identifying how they may relate to my home farm. I will then discuss whether or not present activities can change to more sustainable methods in the