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LIVESTOCK
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Livestock enhance human health not only by providing nourishing foods but also by supporting viable livelihoods, which allow people to make better dietary and health choices.
Published under the World Economic Forum’s Shaping the Future of Food initiative, which focuses on how to develop inclusive, sustainable and nutritious food systems, ILRI’s paper addresses opportunities for the livestock sector to sustainably meet the growing demand for animal source foods in developing and emerging economies till 2030 and beyond.
‘Meat’ the new opportunity
A
GGREGATE DEMAND FOR livestock-derived foods is rising fast across Africa, driven largely by population growth. For example, the average per capita consumption of meat in Africa is less than one-sixth that of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries (other estimates place it as low as one-tenth). In the developing world, livestock are much more than just food – they are central to local economies, contribute significantly to agricultural GDP, provide critical protein and nutrients otherwise unavailable, and support viable livelihoods for nearly a billion people, allowing them to make better dietary and health choices. Livestock are raised in widely different ways around the world. This diversity can be a source of strength, enabling farmers to develop livestock/animal production, processing and marketing systems that are safer and more sustainable, responsible and efficient. For emerging and developing nations, where farms of less than 20 hectares supply most of the livestock-derived foods as well as the cereals consumed in these countries, four main options are available for increasing production – intensification of existing systems; development of western-style, industrial farms; importation of more livestock-derived foods; and possibly in the longer-term future, use of alternate forms of protein, such as lab-based meat. The diverse roles of livestock in developing and emerging countries create opportunities to meet nutrition, income, livelihood
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and ecosystem needs while mitigating livestock related threats to human and environmental health. But these opportunities must be managed to add to the positive aspects livestock provide while mitigating the negatives.
Globally, transforming food systems to meet demand in inclusive, sustainable, healthy, nutritious and efficient ways is recognised as one of the world’s biggest challenges. As the access to and availability of milk, meat and eggs increases for poorer populations, policymakers will need to promote sensible, balanced consumption as well as messaging that incorporates dietary, environmental, public health and animal welfare dimensions. Governments will face a plethora of trade-offs in implementing policies that support a vibrant transformation of the livestock sector. More than one billion people are involved in livestock value chains globally, with more than half of these dependent on livestock for their livelihoods. Meat, milk and eggs make up five of the world’s top 10 highest value agricultural commodities, and the livestock sector contributes 40 per cent to global agricultural gross domestic product. While this share varies from 15 per cent to 80 per cent across emerging and developing economies, it is rising
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