Bedeutung der Rinder für die Ernährungssicherung im semiariden Süden Madagaskars

There is a widespread belief that traditional livestock keeping in Southern Madagascar poses a serious threat to the environment while contributing little to the livelihood or food security of the population. This book analysis the role of livestock within the framework of household food and nutrition security focusing on the role of cattle as a safety against crop shortfalls. The study compares two consecutive years: the first with a good harvest, that covered the needs of the farming community and the second with severe crop shortfalls due to drought and, consequently, loss of self-sufficiency with regard to food and loss of cash income from sales of crops. The results show that cattle, and to a lesser degree sheep and goats, form an integral part of the social-cultural life and the household economy. The livelihood of households is based on both crop and animal husbandry. In times of crop shortfalls both selling livestock, especially cattle, and hiring out the own labour force are the most important alternative resources of households to earn the money needed to compensate the repercussions of crop failure. However, the possibilities to make a living with activities other than crop and animal husbandry are very limited in the remote and semiarid study area. The investigation shows that there is need to further develop potential strategies for nutritional risk management by taking into account the social, cultural and economic habits of the population, specially in the field of animal husbandry but also in farming and marketing.