session3

=Livestock Exchange= =Session 3: THURSDAY=

Related issue briefs:
 * [|Crop residues in smallholder systems: Pressures and trade-offs] (2)
 * [|Livestock and climate change] (3)
 * [|Rangeland-based livestock production systems in the arid and semi-arid tropics: Challenges and opportunities] (4)
 * [|Opportunities for water-efficient livestock production] (5)

// Overview – Shirley Tarawali: Lessons, Reflection, Future Perspectives //
 * 09:15 – 10:30 ** ‘**Livestock Systems in Transition’** [Tent]

In each of these circles, there will be seven seats: four seats occupied by the resource persons and one or two free seats. For each of these circles, the discussion will revolve around: **key lessons from outputs, outcomes and impacts / key issues at play in this field / future perspectives for impact**. Everything else (all other points discussed) has been captured in a way or another (on a flipchart).
 * (2 min) Introduction of the session by Shirley: Why this session, how it fits in the overall ILRI legacy and possible future (link with other sessions?)
 * (13 min) Introduction of the key topics by 2-min briefs from each person.
 * (5 min) Introduction of the group work process (//fish pond// - adapted from //fishbowl//) and preparing the space for the circles.
 * (40 min) Fish ponds to discuss the issues at hand in five different circles - with one group switch halfway through.
 * Livestock-water (Tilahun)
 * Vulnerability and pastoralism (Iain)
 * Crop residue tradeoffs (Michael)
 * Sustainable intensification (Alan)
 * Climate change (Mario)
 * (15 min) Wrap-up - key conclusions: Each circle 'leader' presents 2 key points from the discussion:
 * **What was the most unexpected issue that came up in the discussion?**
 * **Was there consensus in terms of ILRI’s role around this issue in the future?**

__**To organise:**__
 * Identify all the key people and get their email address to inform them about the process (and how it works to do a fish pond)
 * (on the day) Organising space to prepare seats beforehand

Collective insights and session outcomes
//Please indicate here what were a) the key collective insights, statements, questions, issues raised and b) the session outcomes (general description of how it went and what came out of it + possible reflections about the process).//

Collective insights
Livestock-water interaction is not well understood. No standard indicator. Are there opportunities for improving livestock water and productivity? Yes, many, e.g.:
 * //__Livestock and water: Tilahun __//**
 * Feed sourcing: if an animal only eats crop residues and water has been accounted for, the water used is free
 * If animals die before reaching market or table, any water that goes to them is wasted need. Productive animals are necessary;
 * Conserving water through effective range management approaches;
 * Optimizing the mix of animal, water and feed resources in the landscape.

How are our - arguably too theoretical - reports going to be put into action from political level to the farm level?

We need to think about ecosystem services and the carrying capacity of the land. In the ecosystem, animals have an important role in production of organic matter, particularly in regions where livelihoods depend on livestock e.g. in the horn. There is no replacement for animal protein in human development.  All scientists agree that it’s not about water vs. livestock.

__The opportunities in the livestock-water agenda are: __ There was __no consensus__ in this group about ILRI’s role for this issue in the future.
 * Sustainable intensification;
 * Better natural resource management to recover and capture more (rain)water in farms (which currently disappears through irrigation);
 * Learning about water management from local pastoralists’ knowledge;
 * Filling the gap in terms of the relationship to fodder production and the role of crop residues in pastoral systems vs. in other areas;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Thinking from the scarcity side;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Bringing the livestock-water relation in system thinking;
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Pursuing the right kind of breeding (so far not addressed in international research);
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Making the research actionable, involving practitioners;
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Focus on how to convert water into money, even if it does not involve livestock, which whill then influence how the water is used efficiently **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">. We have been working backwards on this so far (this was __the most unexpected issue__ that came up in the discussion).


 * //__<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Vulnerability and pastoralism (Iain Wright) __//**
 * One of the fundamental problems is that policy makers do not see a future for pastoralists. They should come up with better policy visions that incur economic and environmental arguments.
 * Use mixtures of interventions to get opportunities for development that leads to sustainable change.
 * Increase literacy among pastoralists to literacy to facilitate and sustain change.
 * Pastoralists have unique fashion sense.
 * Settlement strategies should be able to integrate all the stakeholders to understand the real needs and gap.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Notes not available.
 * //__<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Crop residue tradeoffs (Michael Blummel) __//**

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Some pointers: <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The consensus here is that **sustainable intensification a highly complex field and there is not just one consensual outcome**.
 * //__<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Sustainable intensification __//**//__<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> **(Alan Duncan)** __//
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">What about the sustainability of systems?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">We need to connect smallholders with markets. We have been focusing on smallholder systems but not on large dynamic systems. Arguably, what we are missing is an opportunity to have smallholders grow and feed the local population / create a smallholder revolution that can capture the market opportunity.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Intensification should also focus on environment and livelihood.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">We should explore value chains in communities over long term projects and track the dynamics of change there.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Notes not available.
 * //__<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Climate change (Mario Herrero) __//**