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Sustainable goat production, some global, perspectives
by Dr. Christie Peacock, FARM-Africa
and Dr. David Sherman, Dutch Committee for Afghanistan
She has underlined that humankind is facing unprecedented turmoil and change as it seeks to survive and thrive at the start of the 21st century. There are some global trends and forces of change. These trends include global warming, the rising costs of non-renewable energy, rising cost of grain, dietary changes, human population growth, human aspirations livestock population growth, and environmental degradation.

Livestock, including goats, interact with the environment in a number of positive and negative ways.

The report Livestock’s Long Shadow published by FAO in 2006, brought together a large weight of evidence showing the damaging environmental effect of livestock and livestock-related anthropogenic activities.

The report rightly highlighted the environmental damage of poorly-managed high-input/high-output systems. The report is being used by environmentalists across the world to mount a campaign against all livestock that is gaining dangerous currency amongst policymakers.

A close reading of the report shows that the livestock systems with by far the greatest environmental impact are intensive systems in the developed world, the expansion of beef production in South America and the growth of intensive pig and chicken systems in Asia.

On the contrary, a majority of goats (and many small ruminants) all over the world use land not possible to cultivate and able to survive in environments degraded for other uses - cultivation, cattle or sheep. A lack of comprehensive information is identified and an urgent need for solid information presented in an accessible way on livestock and on goats in particular.
For instance:
- e.g. goats in Africa produce 0.6% livestock methane,
- they can have positive impacts in invasive species control.

There are arguments to show that goats and goat products can contribute significantly to lower several world wide problems, but goat activities are also facing difficulties related to climate and social changes.

For instance, the impact of climate change on goat diseases is real:
- Bluetongue in Northern Europe on sheep, goats, and now beef,
- Rift Valley Fever in East Africa linked to El Nino induced precipitation (500,000 sheep and goats affected, 450 people killed in Kenya alone),
- Development of parasitism Haemonchosis, liver fluke, etc.

The image of the breeders is socially depreciated and inspite of the growth in human population, human aspirations are not in favor of these activities. So where will the next generation of goat herders come from?

It is fundamental to communicate to the public the positive aspects of these activities and the quality of these products. What makes goats and the people who keep them resilient?

- Positive trends in sustainable ethical ‘lifestyle’ choices, part-time farming?
- What makes them susceptible to these forces of change? Low-input/extensive - vast majority
- Increasing number of ‘niche’ systems: weed control, milk for HIV/AIDS patients, GM goat milk proteins in pharmaceuticals, good taste,
- The advantages of goats in emergency situations .

In conclusion a comprehensive and argued study needs to be done to show the role of goats and small scale herds in: social, economic and environmental sustainability.