Table 1. Livestock and poultry ownership in each village

This study presents an
integrated examination of both the ecosystem services (ES) and ecosystem
disservices (EDS) associated with smallholder animal husbandry in rural
livelihoods in three villages in southeast South Africa. It recognises the
contribution of ES supporting and resulting from smallholder livestock and
poultry production, but also details the limiting factors or EDS, such as
tick-borne disease, birds of prey or unpalatable rangeland, produced by the
same system. Using a mixed-methods approach, including focus group discussions
with various Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) activities, key informant
interviews, household surveys and land-use change mapping on GIS, we consider
the relative value and benefits from ES after the effects of EDS, as well as
the management and strategies that households adopt to minimise EDS.