86442 Livestock and Livelihoods From a household livelihood perspective, the importance of poultry emerges clearly alongside in Tanzania: Can the that of cattle: the average livestock keeping household holds 44 percent of the total poultry Sector Deliver on Growth birds in the country. In particular, the poorest 40 percent of rural households rely essentially and Poverty Reduction? on small numbers of poultry, with goats becoming more important among the somewhat The Tanzania National Panel Survey (NPS) is a better-off households, and cattle dominating unique, and as yet largely underutilized, source among the richest 20 percent of rural of knowledge and information on rural households. Tanzania’s economy and living standards. It is a nationally representative survey regularly A core of livestock specialized conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics households own most of farm (NBS). Consequently it is much richer in data on animals the rural economy than previous living standard surveys carried out in Tanzania in the past, thus One issue emerging from the analysis is the high allowing painting a much more refined picture degree of concentration in livestock holdings, compared to what has been possible to date. Its with the top 20 percent of livestock keepers first round, on which this note is based, was holding over 80 percent of livestock assets (as carried out in 2008-09. Since then, the survey measured by animal numbers in TLU). has been implemented every two years (2010-11 and 2012-13, ongoing)1. Livestock ownership is widespread Results show that sixty percent of rural households in Tanzania engage in livestock keeping, earning an average of over 20 percent of their income from livestock, while also benefiting from other livestock uses (e.g., traction, manure), which are not captured in that figure. In aggregate, large ruminants dominate, accounting for over 80 percent of total livestock holdings when measured in Tropical Livestock Units (TLUs). Cattle ownership is, however, less Interestingly, as an alternative measure of common and more clearly linked to wealth than wealth, levels of per capita expenditures do not ownership of smaller livestock. Conversely, poor change significantly across quintiles of livestock Livestock Data Innovation in Africa BRIEF goat herders have flocks of similar size, or ownership, whereas herd size and structure larger, to those of rich ones. Meanwhile, poultry does, with a particularly steep gradient in the ownership is very common place. top quintile, suggesting that there is a small core of relatively larger livestock owners who 1 The NPS is carried out by NBS with technical assistance are substantially different from the rest. This is from the World Bank under its Living Standard Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture confirmed by the fact that households in the top (LSMS-ISA) project (www.worldbank.org/lsms-isa). quintile earn about a third of their income from Numbers for Livelihood Enhancement www.africalivestockdata.org livestock, as opposed to 10-14 percent of when calculating the full range of benefits of income in the other quintiles. livestock production for rural households. Livestock and gender Female-headed households, while somewhat disadvantaged in terms of access to livestock Results show that women are relatively assets, appear to be in a relatively good disadvantaged in terms of livestock ownership, position to benefit from such opportunities. particularly for cattle: this effect is strongest among poorer households. Where women do While the prospects for the livestock sector are own livestock, they appear to be as market promising, there are a number of factors that oriented as are men, if not more so, due to may constrain households’ ability to take their role in the marketing of milk and milk advantage of the opportunities offered by a products. However, the sale of live animals is possible growth in the demand for animal food. much more frequently handled by men. In particular, the low level of input use and veterinary services, and the high prevalence of It should be noted that the gender reported animal diseases could place disaggregation of livestock data in the NPS is restrictions on the extent to which livestock is rather simplistic and hence these findings productive. Further analysis is required to should be interpreted with some caution. More identify the extent to which these constraints recent rounds of NPS data have been designed may become binding, and to single out possible with greater attention to these aspects, and will actions to remedy the situation. therefore provide an opportunity for further analysis as their results become available. The NPS data offer a rich basis, particularly if integrated with additional data sources, upon Consumption of animal source foods which to further this descriptive analysis. Future analysis of the NPS data and, even more The NPS data allow going beyond livestock so, the analysis of longitudinal data as future production to look into patterns of consumption rounds become available, provide an of products of animal origin. The picture that unprecedented opportunity for the national and emerges is one of substantial disparities in international community to further our livestock product consumption between rural understanding of the nexus between livestock and urban areas and between different income and livelihoods in rural Tanzania. groups. Overall, one can argue that that as average incomes in Tanzania continue to This brief is based on K. Covarrubias, L. Nsiima, increase, the demand for livestock products on and A. Zezza, 2012, Livestock farming and the domestic market will expand, offering good livelihoods in rural Tanzania. A descriptive opportunities for livestock producers to increase analysis of the 2009 National Panel Survey. This incomes. report provides an initial, descriptive exploration of the NPS dataset, with a specific Seizing the sector’s growth focus on the livestock sector, and is available opportunities for poverty reduction for download at www.africalivestockdata.org Removing the constraints to increasing productivity and market participation for For further information please visit: dynamic livestock producers, including some of www.africalivestockdata.org the poor, should allow them to tap into growing market opportunities and realize the full Or contact: income generating potential from their livestock Alberto Zezza, World Bank resources. azezza@worldbank.org The anti-poverty payoffs are amplified via the Longin Nsiima interaction between livestock keeping and crop Tanzania Ministry of Livestock and Fishery production through the provision of manure and Development nsiimalongin@yahoo.co.uk draught power. Indeed, these inputs do appear Livestock Data Innovation in Africa BRIEF to be used more frequently by mixed crop- livestock producers, than by pure crop producers at comparable income levels. While this additional benefit of livestock keeping is not included in the figures of income shares reported above, it should enter the equation Numbers for Livelihood Enhancement www.africalivestockdata.org