ABSTRACT
Subsaharan Africal is characterized by extreme contrasts and wide diversity of resources and use of them. Some of the 45 countries in the region are rich in oil and mineral resources, while the economies of others are almost entirely based on agriculture and livestock. Livestock have traditionally been an important component in the economies of virtually all the sub-saharan states, whether household inventory be two pigs and one goat on a one hectare farm in a primarily agricultural area of West Africa, or 40 head of cattle belonging to a pastoral family in East Africa. The lack of a vision is exemplified by violent shifts in economic systems in some countries, radical price policy changes and, most important, failure to establish a clear-cut realistic land tenure policy. The implication is there must be substantial privatization of land, even greater migration from livestock producing areas to urban centers, and attendant ethical considerations about loss of traditional cultures.
