Food and nutrition security continue to play a pivotal role in deciding better livelihoods for the poor. A closer look and link at the two points to the fact that development practitioners need to come up with tangible innovations that can address the two. The crops and livestock nexus plays a big role in food and nutrition programs, in that we have to tailor make programs that address firstly the design of land use patterns, this will lead us to what interventions farmers and communities can pursue. Looking at the role of livestock for both meat, milk, and fertilizer, we need to design land use patterns that will align well with proper livestocking rates. With the correct livestock carrying capacities and stocking rates, livelihoods for poor communities will be enhanced. However more land is being opened by farmers for crop production and the products from the crops are not being channeled to the livestock sector, in order to build and sustain this nexus there is need also to build the capacity of smallholder farmers in feed formulation and stock managment.
Addresing these will narrow the yield gap of crops and increase nutrition and at the same time livestock offtake rates will greatly enhanced.
Themba Phiri