African pastoralism

Abstract

Although Africa south of the Sahara has 160 million, or 12 per cent, of the world's cattle, beef meat is not a common item in the diet of the majority of the continent's 330 million people. Beef production per head is 40 per cent and milk production 20 per cent of the world average. It is estimated that all types of domestic livestock, excluding pigs and poultry, provide 11 kg meat per person per year plus the equivalent of 29 kg milk.