Global Agenda for Livestock Research Global Agenda for Livestock Research Proceedings of the Consultation for the South-East Asia Region 10–13 May 1995 IRRI, Los Banos, The Philippines edited by C. Devendra and P. Gardiner International Livestock Research Institute 1 Global Agenda for Livestock Research Table of Contents Preface Summary report of the sub-regional discussion groups on livestock research priorities Welcoming remarks F.A. Bernardo Introduction to the objectives of the meeting H.A. Fitzhugh Globalising sustainable livestock production through research and technology: Addressing the needs of the 21st century R. Nazareno Research and development for forage production and supply in South-East Asia W. W. Stur Priorities and direction for research for more effective use of feed resources by livestock in Asia R.A. Leng and C. Devendra Major initiatives and contributions of FAO/APHCA to the development of livestock agriculture in the Asia-Pacific region M. Sasaki Effective utilisation and conservation of indigenous animal genetic resources: Development of the carabaos in the Philippines L.C. Cruz Integrated crop–fish–livestock improvements in South-East Asia P. Edwards and D.C. Little Setting priorities for agriculture research in Asia: A case study with rice K S. Fischer Priorities for socio-economic research in farming systems in South-East Asia T.R. Paris and C.C. Sevilla ICLARM's approach to the integration of aquaculture into sustainable farming systems M. Prein, C. Lightfoot and R.S.V. Pullin Research priorities for improving animal agriculture by agro-ecological zone in Malaysia T.K Mukherjee The Philippine livestock industry: The research and development agenda P.S. Faylon and D.B. Roxas Research priorities for improving animal agriculture by agro-ecological zone in Indonesia 2 Global Agenda for Livestock Research A. Djajanegara and K Diwyanto Research priorities for improving animal agriculture by agro-ecological zone in Thailand M. Wanapat Research priorities for improving animal production by agro-ecological zone in Vietnam Vo-Tong Xuan, Le Thanh Hai and Chau Ba Loc Research priorities for livestock agriculture by agro-ecological zone in Lao PDR B. Bouahom Research priorities for improving animal agriculture by agro-ecological zone in Papua New Guinea W.J.K. Bakau Research priorities for improving animal agriculture by agro-ecological zone in Fiji P. Manueli Appendix I: Establishment of a native carabao gene pool Appendix II: The carabao genetic improvement programme List of Participants 3 Global Agenda for Livestock Research Preface The Consultation reported here marks ...an historic event. For the first time in our history four Centres of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and 13 countries in South-East Asia are meeting to discuss priority areas and researchable issues in livestock production. In South-East Asia, livestock production is intimately linked to crop production. We cannot talk about livestock without relating it to feeds, crops and the environment. Dr Bernardo, IRRI's Deputy Director General, in his opening address. The impetus for this "historic event" was the formation of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) which came into being on 1 January 1995, and is the newest of the agricultural research centres supported by the CGIAR. The institute was planned to be a new venture, capitalising on the major strengths in animal health and animal production research which, respectively had been pursued largely separately by the two previous livestock institutes, the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD) and the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA). ILCA and ILRAD had focused their research predominantly on Africa. ILRI, however, is charged with a global mandate. The strategic plans that underlie the foundation of ILRI name four principal research goals for the new centre. In addressing animal agriculture in developing regions, the institute's programmes were to aim to improve: (i) animal performance by overcoming identified constraints to animal productivity through technological research and conservation of genetic diversity amongst indigenous livestock populations; (ii) productivity of the major livestock and crop–livestock production systems typical of developing regions and to maintain, their long-term productivity; (iii) the technical and economic performance of the livestock sector in these regions to ensure the appropriate translation of production system improvement into increased food security and economic welfare; and (iv) the development, transfer and use of technology by national programmes and client farmers in the agricultural systems of these regions. These goals will serve as the framework of the development of ILRI's new programme. They are applicable to the improvement of animal and agricultural productivity globally. However, the combination of biotechnological, adaptive, integrative and managerial solutions appropriate to the different problems, production systems and regions will differ. A commitment to globalising and integrating key aspects of research on livestock, largely through ecoregional initiatives and links to other programmes, is central to ILRI's strategy and to recommendations of other recent reviews of livestock in developing regions. Selection amongst priority problems and regions therefore is paramount in the efficient and effective use of CGIAR resources. The Indicative Medium Term Plan for ILRI, developed in 1994, foresaw the need to establish a global agenda for livestock research through consultations with potential partners and clients in different developing country regions. The institute set aside some of its core funds for this purpose in 1995. Part of ILRI' s global mandate is to provide leadership in livestock agriculture on behalf of the CGIAR. The identification of an agreed global agenda for livestock research will support the development of appropriate research programmes by all those concerned with livestock improvement around the world. The Consultation 4 Global Agenda for Livestock Research series does more than simply provide information for ILRI institutional planning purposes. It also helps establish links with partner organisations, identifies each institute's comparative advantage in addressing wider CGIAR initiatives in agriculture, and the way advice and assistance might best be formulated to aid the projects and programmes of other international and regional agencies. To start this process, ILRI held, at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, a "global" Consultation in January 1995. The Nairobi meeting drew together senior representatives of livestock research and development programmes in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean. These experts compared and contrasted general requirements for livestock research in these regions. The meeting gave ILRI the opportunity to present ILRI's global mandate against the background of recent CGIAR and other reviews and to introduce the regional consultation process which ILRI wished to develop. These first considerations of the requirements for livestock research in different regions concurred on the widespread importance of improving livestock feed resources and their utilisation. This will be the subject matter for a separate CGIAR System-wide Livestock Initiative (SLI). Another initiative that is changing the fundamental approach of the international research centres is a move towards ecoregionality, i.e., considering, in a unified way, the agricultural requirements of areas linked by climate, geography, and other similar biophysical constraints. CGIAR centres have been given new responsibilities for developing coherent research programmes aiming to improve agriculture in the ecoregions in which they are situated. ILRI therefore formulated its consultation series within this ecoregional framework and has contacted both CGIAR and other centres resident in the regions to participate in the deliberations. ILRI plans to complete four regional consultations (two in Asia, one for the Latin America and Caribbean region and one for the West Asia and North African region). Because of the very large human and livestock populations in Asia and the close integration of many livestock species into the farming systems of the region, the planning documents for ILRI viewed Asia as the first major challenge for the institute. With its sister centre, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which has the responsibility within the CGIAR for the humid/subhumid ecoregion of Asia, ILRI convened the present Consultation on livestock research needs for this region. The Consultation—hosted by IRRI at their headquarters in Los Banos, the Philippines—brought together representatives of national and international programmes for agriculture and livestock improvement with donors interested in the development of livestock and the broader South-East Asian region. The Consultation was able to capitalise on this accumulated regional knowledge. It helped to focus the requirements of livestock within the overall agricultural development framework, to define the priority production systems (often quite different from those in other continents), to examine the needs for livestock research, and to help the international institutes and their national programme partners define potential entry points for catalytic research on livestock. The results of the Consultation can be seen through