The study aimed to descriptively capture livestock production and food waste and the suitability of border farms in the lowland Merauke region. Data were analyzed on livestock population structure (individual/ST), food crop waste production (dry weight, DW), capacity, and location quotient (LQ), and SWOT. Food crop waste production is 350 thousand tons of DW and so far only provided for ruminant cattle about 11%. Food crop straw waste is still dominated by rice straw (97%), followed by corn waste (2%), sweet potatoes, and peanuts. The capacity to increase the cattle population is close to 315 thousand ST. The LQ value of both livestock and food crops in Merauke is still in the range of 0 -<1 and is still a prospective sector to be optimized. The results of SWOT analysis conclude that the S-O strategy is the intensification and expansion of livestock commodities.    Keywords: livestock population structure, location quotient, KPPTR, crop residues, Merauke