The likes of sheep, goats, cows, and chickens, among others, can usually be seen on any farmlands, grazing and enjoying the lands that have been provided.
For the welfare of rural households, livestock species play crucial economic and sociocultural roles in providing food, income, assets to save, sources of employment, soil fertility, livelihoods, transportation, agricultural traction, agricultural diversification, and sustainable agricultural production.
The evolution of agriculture called farming saw tribes discover that plants could be grown from seeds and that some animals could be domesticated. In those times, some hunters had to chase and gather food for their families but this realization brought about farmers who could grow food close to them.
This transition brought about a symbiotic relationship between humans and animals where some animals were domesticated for consumption by farmers and their families, any excess could be used in trading with others. The humans in turn would provide feed and care for their livestock and protect them from predators and other potentially harming factors.
Agriculture has evolved over the centuries; this has allowed humans to stop hunting wild animals and allowed them to have permanent settlements as food can be cultivated around them. It has further allowed humans to have more time spent on themselves to participate in other activities instead of spending all their time and energy on hunting and gathering.
Livestock farming is of very high importance to the agricultural industry. Its first vital role is to provide protein for most of the world’s population. Animals such as chickens, cows, sheep, and goats provide milk, eggs, wool, and meat for humans.
In farming, livestock is a very large contributor to cultivation as their waste act as organic and environmentally friendly fertilizers. A practice that is indicative of sustainable agriculture is ‘intensive grazing’, this allows cows and sheep to graze for their food on lands of grass while spreading their waste over the field as fertilizer. This practice guarantees an even distribution of fertilizer, encourages the growth of more diverse plants in the pasture, and stops animals from trampling plants to death.
In economic situations, livestock allows families to have a source of income as they can be used for trading and help on the farm (transport, animal draught).
In some cultures, livestock is seen as a status of wealth, they can be used in the payment of bride prices, and also for sacrificial purposes.
Livestock have played several roles within human existence for decades and have been of immense importance to its survival
