ABSTRACT
Chapter 8 shows the importance of integrated crop–livestock systems as potential sources of livelihood to millions of smallholder farmers in arid and semi-arid lands. The systems represent a key solution for enhancing the agricultural productivity, ensuring food and nutritional security and safeguarding the environment through sustainable intensification and prudent use of natural resources. This chapter reviews major crop–livestock farming systems covering feeds and feed systems in arid and semi-arid lands, forage grasses, legumes and crop-residues as well as the benefits of the integrated crop–livestock systems to smallholder farmers. The chapter presents successful cases of farmers’ innovative practices of crop–livestock integrated systems that offer opportunities for increasing agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability in fragile ecological systems. Finally, the chapter provides key policy recommendations based on the best cases and experiences from arid and semi-arid lands also relevant for similar other regions.
