nomads and extensive livestock herders should thus receive more attention. Future research and technology transfer should be based on well-identified demand by the herders and should build on, complement, support or modify this indigenous knowledge (Sidahmed, 1996). Natural resources such as rangelands, forests, water and wildlife are best managed sustainably by local communities, who depend on them for their livelihood and food security, and not by the state or private sector. Thus state control and ownership of natural resources may have to be reconsidered and possibly returned to the local communities where traditional knowledge on sustainable management still persists (ALAWUC, 2002). The role of the public sector should focus on providing an enabling environment for sustainable natural resource and rangeland management, and on monitoring rather than regulating (Seré and Steinfeld, 1996; Nasr, 1999; Ngaido et al., 2002).

Further aspects to be considered in reorienting policy include integrating crops and livestock more strongly by using pastoral outputs in mixed farming effectively, including intensifying the use of work animals; producing niche products from unusual species or breeds, or high-quality, valueadded meat and milk products; developing interlocking strategies to link conservation of wild fauna and flora with pastoral production; and expanding ecologically sensitive, low-volume tourism, using pastoralists to provide services (Blench, 2000). Increasing productivity and profitability of grazing systems may finally allow for better management of rangelands. This is important because pastoralism on rangelands can indeed make efficient use of scarce and patchy resources, although its proportional contribution to the overall livestock product market in CWANA is continuously decreasing. Additionally, better rangeland management seems to offer great potential for increased carbon sequestration, particularly through an increase in soil organic matter (IPCC, 2000).

Mixed farming systems should still play an important role in the future, since integrating livestock and crop operations remains the main avenue for sustainable intensification of agriculture in many—particularly the drier—regions of the developing world (Delgado et al., 1999). Integrating crops and livestock has manifold advantages and benefits. Livestock uses land that is not suitable for crop production, provides manure for the crops, and may be used as draft power, which allows a certain extent of mechanization. Integrating fodder crops, particularly leguminous crops, in rotations may further improve crop productivity. Additionally, using rotations, including green manures, and integrating livestock into farming systems widens the range of outputs produced, thus reducing the damaging effect of failure or market collapse of any one crop.

Due to the increasing demand for livestock products, in particular milk and meat around urban centers, mixed and intensive peri-urban farming may become more and more profitable, as examples in East and South Asia demonstrate. However, to profit from this opportunity, farmers require access to sound information on markets and market prices. Increased livestock production in CWANA to meet the rapidly growing demand for meat and milk products will probably have to be based on intensified mixed systems since land degradation due to excessive stocking rates

on grazing system rangelands is already widespread in the region. However, the potential threats of pollution (as well as of animal and human health and welfare) will have to be watched cautiously. Major problems to be considered and overcome in intensified systems include the threat of polluting water, soil and air through inappropriate waste management, causing environmental and public health dangers; animal health and animal welfare issues; and zoonotic and epizootic diseases and epidemics; and further human health aspects such as hormones and antibiotics in livestock products, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (BSE—bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease) due to inadequate control of product safety (Delgado et al., 1999; Guendel, 2002). Important challenges for CWANA decision makers will be to remove policy distortions that promote artificial economies of scale in livestock production, develop approaches to let poor producers capitalize from the benefits of increased livestock production, and form regulations to address environmental and public health concerns.

5.2.1.3 Fisheries and aquaculture

The per capita consumption of fish in CWANA was 7.6 kg year–1 in 2004, whereas the world average consumption has increased from 13.1 kg year–1 in 1992 to 16.1 kg in 2003 (FAO, 2004). Fish consumption is expected to increase in CWANA. However, many fish stocks are under threat due to high fishing pressure. It will be difficult to expand production from capture fisheries at the current level of exploitation. It is therefore expected that production from capture fisheries will grow only slowly to 2020 (Delgado et al., 2003), even if fish resources are managed carefully.

Sustainable management of fish resources will have to include responsible use of fishing gear, reducing by-catch, and improving processing techniques. Developing infrastructure in fishing communities will allow fishermen to increase the quantity and quality of their fishing. Presently, large quantities of harvested fish are discarded due to wasteful postharvest methods. Education in coastal communities is important to introduce new techniques to local fishermen and increase their fishing abilities. This education should also increasingly reach women to increase their participation in fishing activities, particularly in postharvest activities. Having local communities participate in managing fishery resources is important. Local committees, which should include representatives from local fisher communities and government authorities, may facilitate such participation since fishers will participate in decision making in managing fish stocks.

Cooperation is needed among countries to provide more fish food for people and to alleviate poverty in coastal communities. This cooperation should include joint research and the exchange of information and data. More research should be directed toward substituting animal protein in the feed with non-animal protein sources; this will reduce the pressure on important fish stocks that are normally used for fish meal. International and regional organizations should also play their roles in providing assistance to the countries in this field. Such assistance may include financial funding, training local people, conducting research, and giving support for local fishery organizations. More research is particularly