GLOBALISATION, CONCENTRATION OF GENETIC MATERIAL AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This paper examines impacts, both positive and negative, of globalisation on the selection of a limited gene pool in livestock and agricultural production. This concentration has increased yields at high rates. It is associated with modern forms of production that are an integral part of a globalised economic system. Such strategies, at least in the short run, reduce production costs and cater for the demands of an increasing population and the needs of modern societies. As will be demonstrated, the ascribed economic benefits of such forms of production also lead to the promotion of such production by donor agencies and are linked to overseas aid, in some instances. On the other hand, specialised systems of production are not without their drawbacks. Such systems of production make many breeds (eg. ‘all-round’ breeds) obsolete for commercial use. This often leads to their gradual extinction because of the low economic values placed on them. When concentration of production relies on a few breeds it inevitably leads to several lock-in dimensions in the use of some production inputs. The lock-in aspects of this form of production, processes involved in the disappearance of breeds and their implications for sustainable development are amongst the issues discussed in this paper.