1 Livestock waste management. The existing evidence of the negative impacts caused by inappropriate livestock waste
management on water resources and public health calls for a more detailed analysis of the problem. Research is
necessary to understand how this problem will develop with increasing livestock numbers and over time. Parallel to
understanding the scope and dimensions of this problem, research is required to provide improved waste management
technologies adapted to the specific circumstance of the poor. An important research component would be the potential
for the intensification of urban/ peri-urban and rural linkages in terms of nutrient flow.
2 Water availability. For urban livestock, water supply is another issue which needs to be understood more thoroughly.
Currently, city planners do not take into account the demands of urban livestock keepers. This results in competition for
resources, over-use and conflicts between neighbours. Studies are needed which quantify the current and future water
demand by urban livestock keeping. A participatory and multi-stakeholder approach is needed to identify potential
water management strategies.
3 Zoonoses., The existing and potential health risks for humans caused by the transmission of diseases from livestock
have to be assessed in more detail. As Mantovani (2000) points out there are a range of local factors involved which
may increase the risk of zoonoses and which will expose especially vulnerable groups, such as children, pregnant
women and poor people in general.
Policy. Relevant information is needed to advise policy makers and city authorities on these issues in order to provide
guidance for the formulation of pro-poor urban livestock legislation. An aspect related to zoonoses, which needs to be taken
into account for the formulation of new legislation is food quality standards and quality control processes.
The study also shows that poor livestock keepers are marginalized from existing knowledge and improved technologies.
There is a clear opportunity to improve the current management system through capacity development and information
sharing. However, in order to achieve this, organization and networking among poor livestock keepers is required to
improve the access to services, information, technologies and markets.
Finally, there is a need to identify appropriate strategies to promote urban livestock keeping to other vulnerable groups who
have not yet entered this activity. As a first step a participatory constraint and opportunity analysis with these vulnerable
groups is required to identify the potential contribution urban livestock keeping could make to their livelihoods.
Acknowledgement This publication is an output from the Livestock Production Programme of the UK Department for
International Development (DFID), for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not necessarily those of
DFID.