S.H.B. Lebbie International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya J.E.O. Rege International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia The theme of the World Expo 2000 Workshop on Animal Breeding and Animal Genetic Resources (AnGRs). "Sustainable Animal Production" highlights the major issue facing AnGRs conservation and utilization pondits today - sustainability. No more can we limit our attention to productivity-oriented strategies without giving due consideration to economic, social and environmental implications of livestock conservation and utilisation (Lebbie, 2000; Rege, 1997), particularly in low input production systems. In the context of these systems, our contribution in this workshop with reference to African AnGRs focuses on: the major low input systems within which the exist; a review of their role, diversity and distribution; the current conservation and utilisation strategies and actions; the challenges and constraints, and the strategies for enhancing their conservation and utilization. These discussions, while attempting to cover Africa as a whole, draw most examples from Sub-Saharan Africa as well as the ruminant livestock.