Over the past five years, FAO has devoted substantial efforts to mapping livestock species distributions at sub-national level.
The maps represent a snapshot of agricultural distributions for the mid to late nineties. Two basic sets of data are provided here - the compiled 'Observed' census and survey data at various administrative or survey unit levels as available - and the compiled 'Predicted' data produced by regression modelling, which fills in some of the gaps and is produced at a constant 0.05 degree (c. 5km at the equator) resolution. A summary of the methodology can be found at the Methodology section of the Livestock Geography Atlas website, and more details are available in the reports cited therein, or can be obtained from ERGO Ltd or the authors.
OCTOBER 2005 - Revisions and refinements to African (and consequently World layers) for totals corrected and year 2000 standardised livestock layers. We have found better and more reliable ways to standardise the African animal layers, and have incorporated these new data into the world layers.
JULY 2005 - a world first- 5km RESOLUTION GLOBAL LIVESTOCK MAPS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD - with the final production of livestock maps for Europe, we are now able to provide global maps for each of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, small ruminants and bovines. A map of Length of Growing Period is also available.
A publication will be available detailing methods and providing some illustrative applications of the data. It will be accompanied by a DVD holding the data. The global coverages will be available at 5 and 8km. Plans are also in train to migrate the entire dataset to FAO's Geonetwork, which should be achieved by the end of 2005. We also hope to be producing some derivative layers in due course - such as Livestock Biomass Distributions, Species ratios, Farming Systems and so on.
July 2005, new livestock distribution data are available for Europe with Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Pigs, Poultry and Buffalo distributions have been provided at 5 kilometre resolution. Both observed and predicted distributions are provided, as well as distribution models adjusted for observed polygon totals, and standardised to the FAOSTAT country level estimates for 2000. A 5km resolution Length of Growing Period Map has also been produced.
As of March 2005, new livestock distribution data are available for Australasia with Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Pigs, Poultry and Buffalo distributions have been provided at 5 kilometre resolution. Both observed and predicted distributions are provided, as well as distribution models adjusted for observed polygon totals, and standardised to the FAOSTAT country level estimates for 2000. A 5km resolution Length of Growing Period Map has also been produced.
As of December 2004, new livestock distribution data are available for Asia, and its constituent 'tiles': East Asia, West Asia, and the Former Soviet Union. For the first time Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Pigs, Poultry and Buffalo distributions have been provided at 5 kilometre resolution for the whole of Asia. The coverage now covers all of the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and East Timor. Both observed and predicted distributions are provided, as well as distribution models adjusted for observed polygon totals, and standardised to the FAOSTAT country level estimates for 2000. The Length of Growing Period Map has also been revised.
Also as of December 2004, revised layers for suitability for monogastric and ruminant livestock, incorporating new protected area layers. These files show suitability rather than the earlier unsuitability.
As of February 2004, new livestock distribution data are available for Africa - the earlier Bovine and Length of Growing Period maps have been overhauled and revised, and distributions for Sheep, Goats, Pigs and Chickens at 5 and 8 kilometre resolution have been produced. The Africa Maps now cover North Africa and Madagascar as well as Sub-Saharan Africa.
As of September 2003, new global suitability masks are available at 5minute (8km) and 30second (1km) resolution which delineate areas identified as unsuitable for ruminants or monogastrics according to a range of agroecological, topographic and demographic criteria. Continental tiles have been provided for the 30second data.
As of August 2003, new data are available for North and South America, which improve upon the basic distribution models by correcting them so that the numbers (densities times pixel area) calculated from them match either the totals per 'observed' data polygon or the published FAO national total for the year 2000.
A number of these working maps are now available to collaborators, providing FAO AG Division is acknowledged as the source, and providing it is clearly understood that these are draft or working maps, which have yet to be finalised. Work is in progress to further standardise the outputs and extend the coverage.
In order to access the data, you will need a password which will be emailed to you on request. One you have it please add the password and your name in the boxes below, and you will be sent on to the data download page. Your details will be kept in for reference only and will not be passed on. You will be informed of data updates if you have asked to be.
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