Conference on policies for competitive smallholder livestock production

4-6 March 2015. Gaborone, Botswana. The Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) held a conference on  with the theme Policies for competitive smallholder livestock production.

The conference provided an opportunity for African and international scientists and the broader stakeholder groups in the livestock production sector to discuss competitiveness in livestock production systems and improving the livelihoods of livestock farmers, especially smallholders, with emphasis on southern Africa.

The broader objectives of the conference were to gather researchers, policymakers and development partners working in the area of assessing competitiveness in agricultural food production and marketing, and to provide answers to various questions rotating around four thematic areas.

The various development issues related to competitiveness of smallholder livestock farming in southern Africa  were grouped under the following sub-themes:

• Measures of competitiveness in smallholder livestock production and policy advocacy
• Market access and utilization
• The role of collective action in enhancing competitiveness of smallholder livestock farmers
• The role of governments in the provision of livestock support services
• Economics of animal health and trade in the competitiveness of smallholder livestock production systems