Animal Husbandry in Organic Agriculture Source International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM - Organics International) Keywords Organic agriculture, organic farming, sustainability, animal husbandry, animal housing, sweet flag, animal health, pastures, animal feeding, sheds Country of first practice Uganda ID and publishing year 8378 and 2015 Sustainbale Development Goals No poverty, zero hunger, decent work and economic growth, sustainable cities and communities and life on the land Summary Integrating animal husbandry into crop • serve as an investment or a bank; producing farms is one of the principles • help in pest control (e.g. dugs); of organic farming. In temperate and arid • help in weed management (e.g. grazing on zones, animal husbandry plays an important barren fields); role in the recycling of nutrients, while it is • have cultural or religious significance less emphasised in the humid tropics. The (prestige, ceremonies, etc.); and caring, training, and nurturing of animals • produce young stock for breeding or sale. is considered an art in many farming Figure 1: Animals integrated into the farm, showing the flow communities. of fodder, dung and products Description Integrating animals into a farm help creating a closed or semi-closed system where energy and nutrients are recycled. Animals can convert non-edible biomass (e.g. grass, straw, kitchen waste) into food while increasing soil fertility with their manure. © FAO/TECA Many farm animals have a multi-functional role, for example, animals: • produce dung, which is of great importance for soil fertility; The significance of each role will vary from • yield products such as milk or eggs for sale animal to animal and from farm to farm. It or own consumption continuously; will also depend on the individual objectives • recycle by-products such as straw or of the farmer. kitchen waste; 1. Deciding on animal • serve as draught animals for tillage or husbandry TECA transport; There are several reasons for TECHNOLOGIES • produce meat, hides, feathers, horns, etc.; taking up animal husbandry and PRACTICES for SMALL AGRICULTURAL 1/10 PRODUCERS Livestock Production as a part of your farming activities or even as 1.5 What do animals need? the main one. Organic farmers try to achieve healthy farm Figure 2: Reasons to keep farm animals - A cow is not just a animals which can produce satisfyingly cow! Farm animals can have many functions for a farmer over a long period. To achieve this goal, various needs of farm animals have to be considered: • fodder in adequate quality and quantity; • for non-ruminants: diversity in fodder is usually required; • sufficient access to clean drinking water; • clean sheds of sufficient size and with adequate light and fresh air; • sufficient freedom to move around and © FAO/TECA perform their natural behaviour; There are also some critical aspects to • healthy conditions and veterinary follow- be taken into consideration. To decide on up, when needed; whether and how to get involved in animal • sufficient contact with other animals, but husbandry, you should ask yourself a number no stress due to overcrowding; and of questions: • for herd animals: an appropriate age and 1.1 Is my farm suitable? sex distribution within the herd. Do I have sufficient space for shedding and Organic animal husbandry means not only grazing, fodder or by-products to feed, feeding organic food and avoiding synthetic enough know-how on keeping, feeding, and food additives and synthetic medicines treating specific kind of animals? (e.g. antibiotics, growth hormones) but also 1.2 Will the animals benefit my farm? focusing on satisfying the various needs of the farm animals. Good health and Can I use the dung in a suitable way? Will I welfare of the animals are among the main get products for my consumption or sales? objectives. Will the animals somehow affect my crops? Figure 3: What farm animals need - For example chickens 1.3 Can I get the necessary inputs? have various needs which should be fulfilled simultaneous Is sufficient labour available within or outside my farm? Is enough fodder and water of good quality available throughout the year? Will remedies and veterinary support be available, if needed? Can I get suitable breeds of animals? 1.4 Will I find a market for the products? Does anyone want to buy my milk, eggs, meat etc.? Is the price worth the effort? Am I able to compete with other farmers? © FAO/TECA For example, sufferings from mutilation, permanent tethering or isolation of herd 2/10 animals must be avoided as much as protected from rain. possible. For various reasons, landless They should be constructed in a way animal husbandry (i.e. fodder purchased ensuring: from outside the farm due to lacking grazing land) is not permitted in organic farming. • sufficient space to lie down, stand up, move and express natural behaviour (e.g. 1.6 How many animals to keep? licking, scratching, etc.); To identify the appropriate number for • sufficient light (as a rule, one should be a specific kind of animal on a farm, the able to read a newspaper in the shed); following points should be considered: • protection from sunlight, rain, and • availability of fodder on the farm, extreme temperatures; especially in periods of scarcity (e.g. dry • sufficient aeration, but no draught; season); • appropriate beddings (see section • carrying capacity of pastures; below); • size of existing or planned sheds; • elements to exercise natural behaviour • the maximum amount of manure the (e.g. for poultry: perching rails, sand fields can bear; and baths and secluded laying nests); and • availability of labour for looking after the • sheltered pits or heaps to collect and animals. store manure. In tropical countries, farm animals are For economic reasons, sheds can be built frequently found to be underfed. When with simple, locally available materials. defining the number of farm animals, keep Many countries have a rich tradition of shed in mind that the economic benefit will be constructions and have developed the most higher when fewer animals are kept, but efficient and appropriate shed systems for fed well. Not only the amount but also the the conditions of the region. If techniques quality of the available food must be taken of this heritage are combined with the into consideration. above principles, a locally adapted and at the same time animal-friendly system may 2. Animal housing be obtained. The type of shed should be specific to the Figure 4: Traditional simple sheds in Senegal (cattle shed, type of animals to be sheltered. Poultry, for goat shed, chicken shed) instance, should be housed in sheds that do not get too hot. Contact of the animals with their faeces should be avoided as much as possible. 2.1 Planning sheds Except for nomadic lifestyles, most farm © FAO/TECA animals are temporarily kept in sheds. The combination of animal husbandry and farm activities requires control of their movements to avoid damage to crops. 2.2 Beddings For the welfare and health of the animals, Beddings are materials used in sheds for sheds must be cool and aerated and 3/10 keeping the floor soft, dry, and clean, which consist of roughage (grass, leaves, etc.). If is important for animal health. They absorb concentrates or supplements are used (e.g. the excrements of the animals and need to agricultural by-products and wastes), they be replaced from time to time. Beddings should not contain growth promoters and can be of straw, leaves, twigs, husks or other synthetic substances. other locally available material. They can be Instead of buying expensive concentrates, replaced daily or kept for several months there are a variety of leguminous plants while adding fresh material on top. rich in protein which can be grown in the 3. Animal Feeding farm as cover crops, hedges or trees. If the The availability of fodder is one of the mineral content in the available fodder limiting factors in animal husbandry. Unlike is not sufficient to satisfy the animal’s landless systems in conventional farming, requirements, mineral salt bricks or similar organic husbandry should be mainly based feed supplements can be used as long as on the fodder produced on the farm itself. As they do not contain synthetic additives. it is the case with humans, there is a direct 3.1.1 Grazing versus shed feeding link between the quantity and composition In many regions of the tropics, favourable of the food and the health status of the periods with abundant fodder alternate animals. with less favourable periods when there 3.1 Food Requirements of Animals is almost nothing to feed to the animals. If farm animals are to be productive (milk, However, keeping animals means eggs, meat, etc.), it is important that they providing fodder throughout the year. get suitable food in sufficient quantities. Fodder can be produced on the farm as If the fodder production of one’s farm grazing land or as grass or tree crops used is limited (which usually is the case), it for cutting. might be economically valid to keep fewer Figure 5 (b): A variety of fodder grasses, both for shed animals but supply them with sufficient feeding and pasturing food. The appropriate quantity and the mix of feed items will, of course, depend on the type of animal, but also on its main use (e.g. chicken for meat or egg production, cattle for milk, meat or draft, etc.). In milk production, for example, cows producing milk should be given fresh grass © FAO/TECA and possibly other feed items of sufficient Figure 5 (b): Leaves and twigs of leguminous trees that are protein content. On the same diet, draught rich in protein and commonly available in the dry season animals would rapidly become exhausted.