(a) State three ways in which each of the following factors hinders livestock production in West Africa: (i) breeding; (ii) nutrition; (iii) healthcare; (iv...

Answer Details

(a) Three ways in which each factor hinders livestock production in West Africa

(i) Breeding:

• Use of poor, low-yielding indigenous breeds.
• Inadequate supply of good breeding stock.
• Uncontrolled/indiscriminate mating and lack of A.I. facilities.

(ii) Nutrition:

• Inadequate feed, especially during the dry season.
• Poor quality of natural pasture.
• High cost of concentrates/feed ingredients.

(iii) Healthcare:

• High prevalence of pests and diseases.
• Inadequate veterinary services and personnel.
• High cost of drugs and vaccines.

(iv) Government policy:

• Unfavourable and inconsistent agricultural policies.
• Inadequate funding of the livestock sub-sector.
• Poor implementation of policies and high import duties on inputs.

(v) Finance:

• Inadequate capital to start and expand production.
• High interest rates on loans.
• Lack of/difficult access to credit facilities.

(b) Five factors that affect the productivity of pastures

• Soil fertility.
• Amount of rainfall/water available.
• Species or type of pasture grown.
• Grazing/stocking management.
• Climate (temperature) and control of weeds and pests.