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Potential for value-addition of Nguni cattle products in the communal areas of South Africa: A review
Abstract and Figures
This review focuses on challenges and possible interventions to improve the value of Nguni cattle products in the communal areas of South Africa. There is a general lack of adapted genetic material suited to the needs of the resource-poor cattle producers in South Africa. Nguni cattle are well suited to the management levels of communal farmers who require disease resistant multipurpose animals with low-maintenance feed requirements and relatively high-output. Developmental efforts to reintroduce the Nguni breed initiated in most rural areas of South Africa, especially in the Eastern Cape are reviewed. The possibility of selecting Nguni cattle for specific production traits and develop them into single-purpose herds is evaluated. It is recommended that development and research programmes aimed at reintroducing the Nguni breed in the rural areas should take a holistic and participatory approach in improving the value of Nguni cattle products.
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... In poorer areas and for smaller herds, interventions may aim to support herd health and limit the need for suboptimal, drought-induced sales during times of low precipitation. Speci c interventions might include supplemental fodder, livestock vaccination, and the introduction of hardier cattle species (Mapiye et al., 2007;Slayi et al., 2023). Drought-induced cattle sales may also be avoided by introducing collaborative coping strategies such as village savings and loans associations (Rass, 2006). ...
Climate change is triggering a diverse set of adaptive responses from communities across environmental and socioeconomic contexts. In African rangelands, selling livestock is critical for responding to changes in local environmental conditions. As these decisions further affect environmental and community wellbeing, identifying where, when, and how livestock sales are expected to respond to particular climatic shifts is important for delineating the total impact of climate change and responding accordingly. Scattered evidence suggests that socioeconomic wellbeing mediates how communities use cattle sales in response to precipitation. However, this has not been quantified as a generalizable trend across local to regional scales or within and between years. This study examines the relationship between socioeconomic wellbeing (measured through a standard deprivation index), precipitation, and monthly cattle slaughtering across South Africa from 2015 to 2022. We find that in better-off provinces (-1 standard deviation of deprivation), expected cattle slaughtering declined from 73,296 (90% CI: 38,430–130,709) under the highest observed precipitation, to 57,897 (90% CI: 30,431–103,378) in response to the lowest observed precipitation. In contrast, in worse-off provinces (+ 1 standard deviation), expected cattle slaughtering increased from 10,306 (90% CI: 5,916–19,753) under high precipitation, to 19,966 (90% CI: 11,437–38,245) in response to low precipitation. We further investigate this dynamic using a novel disaggregation regression statistical procedure, showing similar standardized effects sizes at a 16-km spatial resolution for the year 2020 and producing high-resolution estimates of where slaughtering was most likely given socioeconomic and environmental conditions. Our findings show that poorer communities are more prone to selling cattle in response to precipitation shortages, a practice that can erode long-term resilience and deepen inequalities. This general trend suggests that interventions encouraging strategic destocking during favorable conditions and maintaining herd health during droughts can build resilience in disadvantaged pastoral areas. Identifying such archetypal patterns can guide more deliberate implementation of interventions to support climate adaptation across many social-ecological settings.
... The socio-economic impact of improved cattle farming strategies has been significant across various indicators (Table 4) (47). These enhancements are likely due to the better quality and availability of cattle products (58)(59)(60). Overall, these indicators collectively suggest that the adoption of advanced cattle farming strategies has had a beneficial impact on economic stability, income levels, community health, and nutrition. ...
In sub-Saharan Africa, cattle feedlots face a significant challenge in dealing with heat stress. However, there is a lack of inclusive strategies for resilience in these situations. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the strategies, challenges, and outcomes related to heat stress resilience in community-based cattle feedlots in sub-Saharan Africa. The PRISMA approach, which is a method for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses, was used to identify, screen, and analyze 30 peer-reviewed articles published over the last 20 years from Google Scholar and Scopus. The review found that key strategies to mitigate heat stress include providing shade through natural and artificial means, ensuring constant access to cool, clean water using water spraying systems and cooling ponds, and implementing nutritional adjustments such as high-energy feeds and electrolyte supplements. Additionally, genetic selection for heat-tolerant breeds and management practices like adjusting feeding times and improving ventilation were found to be effective in dealing with heat stress. In particular, local germplasm and genetic traits of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa play a crucial role in heat stress resilience. Indigenous breeds, which have adapted to the region’s harsh climate over centuries, exhibit traits such as higher heat tolerance, better water-use efficiency, and improved feed conversion rates under heat stress conditions. This genetic resilience can be enhanced through targeted breeding programs aimed at amplifying these beneficial traits. Implementing these strategies resulted in improved cattle health and productivity, as evidenced by enhanced weight gain, better reproductive performance, and lower mortality rates. The socio-economic benefits of these strategies included reduced economic losses and increased farmer incomes, which in turn contributed to improved community health and nutrition. However, the review also identified significant challenges, including financial constraints, limited access to knowledge and training, and cultural resistance. To address these barriers, the review recommends increased investment in affordable cooling technologies, farmer education, and community-based initiatives. Additionally, leveraging the genetic strengths of local cattle breeds should be prioritized to maximize the effectiveness of heat stress resilience strategies.
... The third preferred breed was Brahman (13.3%), with other cattle breeds being non-descript. Many studies have reported that Nguni cattle is preferred by most communal farmers as it is more adapted to the harsh climatic conditions and cheaper to maintain (Kunene & Fossey, 2006;Mapiye, 2007Mapekula et al., 2009;Nqeno et al., 2011;Tada et al., 2013). ...
Herding is the practice of caring for roaming groups of livestock over a large area, and often motivated by factors like theft and avoiding cattle invading neighbour's harvests in communal areas. Most households in the rural areas of Limpopo have livestock that roam freely often causes conflicts with neighbours, and this is mostly where the foreign nationals are hired for the herding jobs. The main objective of this study was to characterise the cattle herding and management practices in semi-arid savanna communal rangelands of Botlokwa area in Limpopo Province. A semi-structured questionnaire targeting herders and livestock owners was used to collect the data. A purposive sample of 90 cattle owners and those with herding experience was considered. Data show that the majority of the cattle owners were males (64,4%). Ninety-four percent of the farmers practised cattle herding, with 67% using the multi-household herding system. Herding was mainly done by non-South Africans, with the highest majority (42.9%) being Zimbabweans, followed by Lesotho nationals at 32.1%, South Africans at 17.9% and the lowest percentage (3.6%) were Botswana and Malawi nationals. A significant number (77%) of herders spent the whole day with the animals grazing the land and had knowledge on the type of grasses available in their areas. Almost all farmers (89%) vaccinated their cattle, with 75% of farmers supplementing their cattle and applying fair breeding practices. Inferences from the data indicate the dominance of males in livestock farming and cattle herding with moderate farming practices applied in Botlokwa.
... A diseased animal with poor body condition was the least acceptable for dowry thus we placed it into category 4 for the disability weight scale. Since optimal weight for beef productivity required a weight of 500-600 kg for oxen [33], this was classified as level 1 and the disability weight was 0. Based on this, a loss of 100 kg resulted in the animal dropping a level on the disability weight scale to level 2. Subsequent lowering of levels of disability weight were also by 100 kg weight increments. ...
Background
The study aimed to estimate the burden of ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) among rural cattle-keeping households of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa using Productivity Adjusted Life Years (PALYs). We modified Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) equations for humans to PALYs to estimate the societal burden of tick-borne animal diseases. Whilst the World Health Organization has indicated the adaptability of DALYs to assess burden of animal diseases, nothing has been done in this regard. This could be due to several reasons including that the assessment of animal disease burden is often less of a priority compared to human diseases, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where resources may be limited. As a result, less funding and attention may be given to developing and implementing PALYs for animal diseases. Furthermore, technical and conceptual challenges may be associated with applying DALYs equations to animal diseases, such as determining appropriate measures of productivity loss for different types and categories of animals and diseases. This motivated our study, which is focused on modelling the burden of ticks and TBDs in cattle (cows, oxen and bulls) reared in resource-poor settings.
Method
We formulated a PALYs approach for cattle populations by adapting the DALYs approach to assess the burden of ticks and TBDs for cattle populations in 20 villages in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. PALYs is a measurement used to assess the burden of disease in cattle populations, quantifying the years of life lost due to premature mortality and disability. It encompasses years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLL) and years lost due to disability (YLD) caused by health conditions. PALYs provide a comprehensive perspective on the effective number of years lost due to disability and premature death in cattle populations. The PALYs model involves several parameters that are examined to understand their impact on the model’s behavior. To illustrate this, we used a structured questionnaire to collect data on parameters that feed into PALY equations. We coded and entered data from questionnaires directly into Statistical Package of Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Version 20) and entered the estimated values of PALY parameters to calculate PALYs equations, which were to estimate the societal disease burden of ticks and TBDs in cattle. PALYs calculations were done in three categories; PALYs without discounting and age weighting, PALYs with only discounting, and PALYs with discounting and age weighting in a practical example to study how these parameters influence the outcomes of the PALYs model.
Results
Our results revealed that the years of productivity lost by a cow, bull, and ox that suffered from ticks and TBDs could be estimated at various disability weights. Approximately 26%, 23% and 35% of the productivity years of a cow, ox and bull, respectively, reared by resource-poor livestock owners are lost due to the burden of ticks and TBDs in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. However, introducing tick control measures reduces the loss to approximately 3%, 2% and 3% of their lifespan productivity, an indication that tick control will save approximately 23%, 21% and 32% of years of the productive life of cows, oxen and bulls, respectively. Therefore, it is evident that using ticks and TBD prevention measures at an early age of cattle will improve cattle productivity and hence the socioeconomic welfare of resource-poor rural farming communities in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
Conclusion
The findings generated from the PALYs approach are helpful in projections for the future burden of any livestock disease. They may be used as a basis in policy formulation and decision-making by various stakeholders, and hence a priority in animal health economics. We recommend that a classification of livestock diseases of national economic importance should consider both the societal burden (non-monetary) and economic impact instead of the common practice of only considering the economic (monetary) impact. Adding a societal burden measure to existing economic measures provides a holistic understanding of the impact of a disease on society especially in resource-limited settings where the livestock value goes beyond monetary value.
... Little is known about the root causes of alarming rates of stock theft in developing countries and hence the need for comprehensive research on the drivers of stock theft. Most of the available research studies on livestock focus more on reducing mortality, improving livestock productivity, and market oftake and efects of climate change on livestock productivity than stock theft which causes large losses of healthy livestock as shown in Table 2 [22][23][24]. Te main objective of the study was therefore to analyze factors that contribute to stock theft in rural areas and guide policy makers on strategies to combat the scourge of stock theft. Tis study will assist government policy makers in making informed decisions regarding the legislative framework guiding stock theft in Zimbabwe and other regional countries. ...
Stock theft is a major threat to livestock production in Africa and has been on the rise in recent years. Zimbabwe is no exception. The purpose of this study was to analyze factors that contribute to stock theft in rural areas. The study used a mixed research design. The study was limited to wards 20 and 24 of Gwanda district of Matabeleland South Province. The linear regression model was used to analyze the factors that affected stock theft in rural areas. The majority (57.1%) of the interviewed household heads were males and aged below 50 years (55.8%) with an average household size of 5 members. On average, each household owned 5 cattle, 2 sheep, 17 goats, 4 donkeys, and 5 chicken. The participants kept livestock mainly for income generation, source of school fees, draught power, meat, milk, manure, and eggs. The major causes of livestock loss apart from stock theft were drought, disease outbreaks, trapped in mine holes, and predators. All the respondents practiced livestock identification which includes branding, ear notching, and the use of ear tags. The most vulnerable livestock species to stock theft were goats, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and chicken. Stock theft mostly takes place before midday and on Mondays and Wednesdays. It is at its peak levels in January and November. Goats and donkeys were the main stolen livestock species. The stolen livestock is mostly sold to meat processors. The distance from the border, the use of livestock identification tags, the total number of livestock units owned by the household, and the day of the week were significant in influencing the intensity of stock theft ( p < 0.10 ). Stock theft does not directly affect household dietary diversity ( p > 0.05 ) because rural households do not use livestock for their nutritional benefit, particularly goats, sheep, and cattle. Thus, if dietary diversity is taken as a proxy for food security, it can be concluded that stock theft does not significantly affect the household’s food security status. Working in groups through neighborhood watch committees, livestock branding, tending livestock which reduces the time that the livestock roam freely unattended, and assisting the police with investigations whenever there is a case of stock theft were identified as important mitigation strategies. At the service provider level, it was suggested that the law enforcing needed to increase its efficiency to mitigate stock theft.
... The Nguni cattle are a Sanga breed native to South Africa (Makina et al., 2014) and farmed in other countries worldwide. This breed is of great importance to South Africa due to its ability to survive under very harsh climatic conditions coupled with ticks and tick borne diseases (Mapiye et al., 2007). Nguni cattle are thought to have survived through strong selection during their migration from North Africa to Southern Africa, leading to phenotypic changes in the animals and making them capable of withstanding the harsh environments of the country (Bester et al., 2003). ...
Domesticated animals (including poultry) represent both an integral part of global, regional, and small-scale agricultural production, as well as a common element of human everyday life and culture. They also constitute a significant part of the world's biodiversity, on which humanity's supply of food and other animal products depends. In the modern world, there is a high risk of loss of the diversity of farm animals, which can entail a narrowing of resources for production of food and other items of daily life. Furthermore, the flexibility of future animal breeding to adapt livestock populations to climate change and changing consumer demands requires genetic diversity. Efforts must continue to conserve biodiversity and prevent decline in the number of available animal breeds and size of existing populations. To have all the necessary information about the conserved breeds and populations, it is necessary to assess them as comprehensively as possible in terms of phenotypic characteristics, genetic diversity, and genomic features associated with performance of animals, their adaptation to local conditions, and resistance to diseases.
Introducing this Research Topic, we aim to present a series of research articles and reviews that would elucidate traditional approaches, coupled with genotypic/genomic data, and recent advances in conservation and investigation of domestic animal diversity. To contribute to this Research Topic, we invite researchers and breeders who have in their instrumental arsenal traditional techniques and approaches in combination with state-of-the-art genetic and genomic methods that enable the evaluation of breeds by comprehensive phenotyping and studying effectively genetic diversity of breeds using suitable polymorphic markers or genome-wide SNP genotyping. Herewith, we see a lot of benefit of papers combining or comparing traditional and genomic measures and will encourage papers preferably with genotype/genomic content. We also aim to collect papers that will provide insights into how to compose and compare "portraits" of breeds at the level of whole genomic sequences and transcriptomes, as well as to find candidate genes responsible for important traits in individual breeds. Based on genomic information, one can clarify the history of domestication and breed formation and identify genomic regions with signatures of artificial selection. Comprehensive breed assessment provides tools for the development of breed conservation strategies, their sustainable use, and marker assisted breeding.
Within the scope of this Research Topic, we welcome papers, including Original Research articles, Brief Research Reports, and Reviews, that would address (but would not be limited to) the following issues:
• Traditional approaches in breeding and conservation of breeds in domestic animals (including poultry species);
• Description of biodiversity and conservation of native breeds;
• Characterization of breeds in terms of phenotypic traits and their genetic assessment using genetic markers;
• Implementation of recent advances in genetics and genomics such as SNP genotyping, whole genome and transcriptome sequencing, and search for breed-specific candidate genes;
• Approaches that consider functional properties of polymorphisms in the assessment of genetic distances and genetic resources
• Elucidation of domestication and demographic history, genomic footprints of selection related to adaptation, disease resistance and other characteristics of breeds;
• Strategies and prospects for breed conservation, sustainable utilization and marker assisted breeding.
In this current context of production objectives which has shifted from pro commercial to one that is largely dominated by the small to medium cattle producers a case study in beef agro- ecological zones was conducted in Gokwe South and Mount Darwin, two administrative districts in Zimbabwe, to assess its effectiveness in beef value chain (BVC) in livestock development programmes. A total of 100 respondents were randomly drawn from the two districts three villages from Gokwe South and six from Mount Darwin. A structured questionnaire was developed and pretested to ensure that the questions were properly developed and structured. The tool was uploaded on Kobo, a data collection Kit and administered by well-trained enumerators. Key modules of the collected Data included biodata, profiling production systems, objectives of keeping animals, constraints in the production systems, marketing practices, herd dynamics and adaptive mechanism. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 23. The findings showed that smallholder beef farmers in the surveyed districts practice subsistence farming prioritized keeping cattle for draught power, and as a moving bank which also has a positive bearing on their socio-economic status. The study also noticed that breeding was rarely practiced thou pen-fattening was popular production systems among farmers. The marketing of the cattle was random and opportunistic, mainly to solve immediate family problems, with a small niche of farmers adopting business models such as pen fattening. Natural grazing was identified as the main source of feed, with minimal to no rangeland management system in use such as paddocking, this exposed the farmers to seasonal drought risks. Farmers highlighted challenges which they encountered, these ranged from lack of technical know-how due to limited access to advice from extension workers/experts, lack of infrastructure, lack of inputs, and diminishing herd sizes due to drought and diseases. The study concluded that cattle production remained a priority livelihood for the smallholder farmers with multiple roles including direct income and supporting other enterprises such as cropping. The smallholder participation in the BVC remains critical for the livestock development programmes. Recommendations were framed around capacity building efforts, innovations around extension methods, improving market access, herd rationalization and supporting modern farming practices such as breed improvement and feedlots.
Pakistan is endowed with many established indigenous zebu Bos indicus type (humped) cattle breeds including Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Bhagnari and Cholistani. Amongst these indigenous cattle breeds, Sahiwal and Red Sindhi have extensively been navigated and hence these two are acclaimed as internationally recognized breeds. However, research work on Cholistani cattle breed actually initiated in 2010 and has attained a steady pace. This breed was a new entrant in Livestock Census of Pakistan since 2006. Cholistani is a hardy, tick-resistant, adaptable cattle breed being reared under pastoral nomadism of the Cholistan desert, Pakistan. The present narrative review is the first of its kind intended to sum-up all the research work conducted about this indigenous cattle breed, and to put forth research gaps for this formerly neglected cattle breed. The review discusses the research work conducted on Cholistani cattle breed under five major research subjects/domains i.e. production attributes, theriogenology-related attributes, hematochemical attributes, disease, epidemiologic and therapeutic attributes, and genetic attributes. Future horizon for research avenues has also been given. It is the dire need of time that specific breed-oriented conservation and propagation programs may be initiated in the country so that sustained livestock and enhance socioeconomic profiling of rural communities may be attained.
Algerian indigenous cattle breeds are well adapted to the harsh local arid and semi-arid environments. This study aims to summarize livestock practices, milk quality, and discuss the potential of local cattle breeds to maintain production capacity in the face of global warming conditions. A total of 175 smallholder farmers who practice the breeding of the Algerian local cattle breed were interviewed using a formal questionnaire. Following that, 122 milk samples were collected for physicochemical and bacteriological analyses. Climate data variability in the study area was evaluated. Results reveal that between 1980 and 2018, the average annual temperature rose by 0.3 ± 0.001 °C per year. Predictions suggest that by 2081 to 2100, temperatures could increase by 1.18°C under SSP1-2.6, 2.33°C under SSP2-4.5, and 4.59°C under SSP5-8.5. In the same period from 1980 to 2018, annual precipitation decreased by-0.99 ± 0.24 mm per year. Projections indicate a further decline of 22.5 mm for SSP1-2.6, 44.4 mm for SSP2-4.5, and 95.2 mm for SSP5-8.5 from 1980-2000 to 2081-2100. These changes in temperature and precipitation coincided with an expansion of cropland, which increased by 90.3% from 1992 to 2005. Conversely, pasture areas decreased by 53.7% between 1993 and 2009. A socio-demographic survey revealed that breeders have a low educational level (39.4% are unlettered). They own a small herd (6.84 ± 8.66 cattle). Moreover, the average daily milk production was 4.13 ± 2.12 Liters/cow, with acceptable physicochemical quality but poor bacteriological quality. Considering the climate change vulnerability of the study area, we can conclude that the exploitation of local breeds seems to be the best adaptation strategy to climate change effects. Conservation programs for local breeds can enhance biodiversity and ecosystem balance. Concurrently, genetic improvement programs have the potential to boost productivity and profitability, making substantial contributions to social equity and local economies.
The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of livestock traders' competitive rivalry on market access in pastoral areas. The study focused on how traders' socioeconomic characteristics, livestock production and marketing developments, market supply and demand relations, and business model incorporation into livestock commerce can generate knowledge and best practices for regulating competition and performance in local markets. The rationale for investigating competition and market access factors was based on the fact that livestock-keeping is a source of livelihood depended on by over 60% of the Turkana population. While the majority of livestock development challenges are production-related, competition and market access shortfalls make potential livestock markets inefficient and non-lucrative. Exploratory and descriptive research designs and a mixed-methods research approach were used to structure the study. Data was collected from study populations, i.e., primary market traders (n = 243), secondary market traders (n = 168), and livestock specialists working for the government and civil society (n = 24). The principal findings showed that the competitive rivalry effect on livestock production and marketing and supply and demand relationships in markets is significant at a 5% level and that the socioeconomic status of livestock traders, including their wealth, social standing, and amount of operating capital, varies greatly depending on traders’ business capital. Livestock marketing in Turkana is not based on formal business models and strategies. The livestock industry is regressing, and many livestock markets are becoming inoperable, unprofitable, uncompetitive, and unsustainable. Knowledge generated on livestock production and marketing in pastoral areas for use by government and civil society in effective programming of livestock developments in pastoral areas is the basis for the study's critical implications for theory and practice. To structure, enhance performance, and regulate competition in livestock markets, the study underscores the importance of formulating and implementing business models and strategies leading to the most organized livestock marketing and networking among market stakeholders. The study's findings will guide the development of the livestock sector in drylands, facilitate the creation of value-added product chains for the market, manage pricing, structure market governance, and market support networks, improve trading modalities, and inculcate accountability and transparency values in livestock- production and business endeavors.
Ninety bull calves of five Bonsmara strains, viz. Edelheer (E), T-49 (T), Wesselsvlei (W), Roodebos (R) and Belmont Red (BR), and two Nguni sub-populations, viz. Bartlow (B) and non-Bartlow (NB), were fattened under intensive feeding conditions and serially slaughtered at four different slaughter weights. Phylogenetic relationships between the five Bonsmara strains and between the two Nguni subpopulations were determined by means of blood typing. Growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality characteristics were compared between the sub-populations of each breed. Genetic distances between the Bonsmara animals confirmed the existence of five genetic subpopulations with variation in genetic distances between them. The genetic distance between the two Nguni subpopulations was very small, indicating genetic similarity. Means for production and product characteristics were adjusted for mean subcutaneous fat percentage by means of analysis of covariance. T gained weight faster and more efficiently on a live and carcass weight basis than the other Bonsmara groups, while B gained carcass and muscle weight more efficiently than NB. T had proportionally more meat in the high-priced cuts of the carcass than W. Muscle of the W line had a higher ageing potential (measured as myofibrillar fragmentation; MFI) than T, resulting in higher tenderness scores for W. Similarly, B had higher MFI for muscle aged for one or seven days, coupled with more tender meat than NB. Pairwise correlations between growth and muscle characteristics indicated that fast growing animals tend to produce less tender meat.
Grass-fed beef, or beef produced from cattle finished on forage only diets, has been touted as a more nutritious beef product. There are a number of reports that show grass-fed beef products contain elevated concentrations of β-carotene and α-tocopherol, increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids, a more desirable omega-3:omega-6 ratio, and increased levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), all substances reported to have favorable biological effects on human health. The purpose of this article is to summarize information currently available to support the enhanced nutrient claim for grass-fed products as well as review the effects these specific nutrients have on human health. Nutrients of interest for Grass-fed Beef ProVitamin A: β-Carotene: Β-carotene, a fat-soluble antioxidant, is derived from the Latin name for carrot, which belongs to a family of natural chemicals known as carotenes or carotenoids. Carotenes produce the yellow and orange color found in fruits and vegetables and is converted to vitamin A (retinol) by the body. While excessive amounts of vitamin A in supplement form can be toxic, the body will only convert as much vitamin A from beta-carotene as it needs, thus beta-carotene is a safe dietary source for vitamin A supplementation. (University of Maryland Medicine, 2002) Vitamin A is a critical fat-soluble vitamin that is important for normal vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell division, and cell differentiation (Stephens et al., 1996). Specifically, it is responsible for maintaining the surface lining of the eyes and also the lining of the respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tracts. The overall integrity of skin and mucous membranes is maintained by vitamin A, creating a barrier to bacterial and viral infection (Semba, 1998; Harbige, 1996). In addition, vitamin A is involved in the regulation of immune function by supporting the production and function of white blood cells (Ross, 1999; Gerster, 1997).
China is at the onset of an organic agriculture revolution. From 2000 to 2006, China has movedfrom 45th to second position in the world in number ofhectares under organic management. China now has more land under organic horticulture than any other country. In the year 200512006, China added12% to the world's organic area. This accounted for 63% ofthe world's annual increase in organic land, and China now has 11% of the world's organically managed land. The antecedents to China's Organic Revolution are examined, andrevealfurthergrowth potentialin the Chinese organic sector. Longitudinal analysis of China's food production statistics reveals explosive growth, and the consequent capacity for export has implications for food exporting nations. China has adopted an innovative path, via Green Food, towards achieving an organicfuture. This transition strategy may be a modelfor other countries seeking a rapid expansion oforganics. Food exporting countries can expect in future to have their cllemi-agriculturalproduce competing with certified organic produce of China.
1 Acevedo is a graduate student and Lawrence is a professor (jdlaw@iastate.edu) in the Department of Economics and Margaret Smith is member of the Value-added Agriculture Program, Iowa State University.
The performance of Nguni, Afrikander and Bonsmara cattle during the 1989-92 drought period in the North West Province of South Africa was compared. Results for the Nguni, Afrikander and Bonsmara respectively were as follows: birth mass - 30.3, 30.2, 31.1 kg; 200-day mass - 135.6, 173.6, 150.6 kg; first calving interval - 474, 441, 685 d; second calving interval - 454, 382, 445 d; calving percentage - 87, 69, 70 %. Birth mass and 200-day mass within breed was affected by sire (p < 0.01). It was concluded that the breeds performed well under drought conditions but performance could be improved by genetic means.
(South African Journal of Animal Science, 2000, 30(1): 33)
The paper analyses the importance of breed conservation in South Africa by means of added value through a number of species. This principle was applied to some of Southern Africa populations: Nguni cattle, indigenous pigs, indigenous sheep landraces including fat-tails (Pedi, Damara, Zulu, Afrikaner) and fat-rumped breeds (Persian) as well as the improved Boer goat. The latter is an example of what can be achieved by selecting an indigenous breed for a specific purpose.
For each breed, possible alternative uses are explained by analysing their characters. For the Nguni cattle (very well adapted to local conditions) a premium is paid for hides with minimal tick damage as these are used for car upholstery, an important added value. Beef quality and easy calving are also relevant factors that are important when crossing the Nguni with European breeds.
Indigenous sheep landraces are often used to develop hardy composites and this helps their conservation, while the Boer goat is in demand in many countries for meat-production and has been exported world-wide; this is probably the only selected meat-goat in the world.
Indigenous pig breeds are capable of generating a good income and are satisfactory alternatives to modern breeds.