The nations of Subsaharan Africa experienced declining levels of food production per capita throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, particularly in the area of livestock production. Addressing that problem, the authors of this book assess in a systems context the environmental, biological, and social constraints on future African livestock development and consider prospects for improving productivity, They focus especially on changes needed in production and marketing systems, pointing to important policy considerations .

The book is divided into four parts containing twenty-one chapters, each authored by one or more respective authorities in his or her field. Each section in its own way addresses the entire set of questions; topics include aspects of animal breeding and nutrition, anthropology, economics, ecology, farming systems, governmental policy, land tenure, marketing, modelling, and veterinary medicine.