ABSTRACT
Production of small livestock, carried out as an adjunct to other agricultural activities, can be designed to exploit agro ecological niches that would otherwise remain unutilized. Wore unconventional livestock, such as agoutis, capybaras, and rabbits, offer considerable potential as small-scale and localized sources of protein and as generators of employment. With the exception of sheep and goats, small livestock, are not generally associated with environmental degradation and can largely be regarded as environmentally beneficial. Small livestock act as local, decentralized sources of milk, eggs, and meat, thereby promoting household self-sufficiency, increasing protein intakes, and reducing the need for refrigeration, processing, transportation and other energy-intensive activities that the rural poor often cannot afford. Goat milk is also higher in protein and minerals than cow's milk, hence valuable for humans. Sheep which graze on unimproved pasture are maintained in the tropics more for meat production than for wool, although they also supply skins, milk, manure and hair.
