Livestock in a Changing LandscapeAn Integrated Analysis and Global Consultation

Bangkok, Thailand – From November 27 to December 01, 2006

Worldwide, the livestock sector is undergoing important and rapid changes, while formulating appropriate response to the wide range of consequences remains a complex task

Livestock production provides a large part of the total value of agricultural output worldwide, and one third of the food production in developing countries, while demand continues to grow rapidly. Changes in production systems and production objectives have led to a substantial shift of the “centre of gravity” of livestock production, from the North to the South, from temperate regions to tropical and sub-tropical environments. While the emergence and continued growth of industrial and other intensive systems are in response to the rise in demand for animal products and market pressures, extensive systems continue to exist alongside, occupying vast territories and providing livelihood to a large number of impoverished producers. Both forms of livestock production are beset with a range of different problems.

There is a need to respond to the challenges posed by the rapid increase of more intensive livestock production and by the land and livelihood needs of the more extensive production by:o identifying the underlying causes;o assessing the social, environmental and health consequences of different forms of livestock production in their changing context;o investigating appropriate responses from the side of the industry, public policy and consumers.

The Livestock, Environment and Development Initiative (LEAD) an inter-institutional effort coordinated within the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), the Swiss College of Agriculture (SHL), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) have joined their forces to address this complex task. On the basis of a draft synthesis, a meeting of stakeholders and experts in November 2006 will take a comprehensive and integrative approach towards problem identification and resolution.

THE ISSUES

Growing intensities and increasing scales of livestock production accompanied by geographic concentration leads to vertical integration of production, longer food chains and shifts in production types. This trend is becoming very evident on a global scale. Socially, many advanced technologies are not scale-neutral; smallholders cannot access these technologies, resulting in inequities in low competitiveness and livelihoods lost. Environmentally, intensive systems generate hazardous effluents when not properly managed. They also have strong off-site externalities provoked by market distortions in a globalizing world.

The pressures on extensive production are widespread, yet pastoralism and mixed farming provide livelihoods in regions where limited alternatives seem available. The continued expansion of grazing lands and the production of feed crops in some areas add additional stress on biodiversity through habitat loss and damage to ecosystem functioning impacting natural waterways, and promote desertification or pollution problems.

Livestock production is critical to the global food supply, meeting the increasing demand for protein and supporting human livelihoods in a range of societies. Many of the concerns relating to livestock production are considered in isolation. In order to develop sustainable practices a better understanding of the intricate relationships between livestock, feed sources, environment and human well being is needed. This understanding and subsequent actions that can be taken at all scales will lessen the negative impacts on ecosystems and human well being that result from certain practices. Such an approach should reveal the full costs and benefits of these practices to society at large. With new awareness and knowledge it will be possible to present new opportunities for a range of livestock producers.

Animal waste lagoon, pig farm in Central Thailand © FAO/H.Menzi

Pivot irrigation system in operation on oat fodder crop at the Al Faisaliah dairy farm, 70km south of Riyadh. The farm has 2,000 ha. reserved solely for fodder crop production provid-ing feed for 15,400 Fresian of Holstein cattle © FAO/F. Mattioli

Landscape management for livestock in India © IWMI sdfsd

Livestock in a Changing Landscape

Finding SolutionsFINDING SOLUTIONS

FAO, LEAD, SHL, CIAP/SCOPE, CIRAD and ILRI together attempt to address this complex task. A group of expert natural and social scientists, agriculturists, livestock specialists, economists and industry representatives has been engaged to synthesize the issues in an integrated manner. A scoping workshop in Rome, March 2006, launched this process.

On the basis of a draft synthesis, an International Consultation of stakeholders and experts in November 2006 will take a comprehensive and integrative approach towards problem identification and resolution; it will explore public good perspectives throughout the spectrum from

the intensive to extensive forms of livestock production, and focus on the inter-dependencies. Knowledge gaps in our understanding of the process of structural change and its implications will be addressed. Information and communications needs will be identified. The linkages that exist among the economic, social, environmental and health perspectives and themes will be explored. Policy implications will be identified and recommendations made to meet needs of stakeholders.

The consultation will bring together a range of stakeholders, including government, consumer groups, the industry, non-governmental organizations, producer associations and the private sector promoting collaboration, reducing poverty and sharing knowledge and technology. The team of experts and the participants of the consultation will play a key role in the development of a set of publications and an outreach effort that will increase awareness of the consequences to the environment, health and social systems for a broad audience.

Large scale pig operation in Central Thailand© FAO/P.Gerber

Animal waste lagoon, pig farm in Central Thailand © FAO/H.Menzi

Pivot irrigation system in operation on oat fodder crop at the Al Faisaliah dairy farm, 70km south of Riyadh. The farm has 2,000 ha. reserved solely for fodder crop production provid-ing feed for 15,400 Fresian of Holstein cattle © FAO/F. Mattioli

Silvopastoral systems provide a viable alternative to extensive ranching in Latin America© LEAD/Rogerio M.Mauricio

Feeding livestock throughout Niger’s long dry season is as difficult as it is important for smallholder farmers and agro-pastoralists © ILRI/Dave Elsworth

AUDIENCE & OUTPUTS

The outputs of this assessment are directed to and will include national and international representatives, from governments, academia, agencies for research and development to non-governmental organizations, livestock associations and industry.

The consultation is a key step towards a comprehensive science and policy analysis that will provide relevant information for decision makers at all levels. Results from the analysis will be presented in four publication: a comprehensive technical and scientific volume, a case-studies compilation volume, a summary for decision makers and a business and industry synthesis.

CONSULTATION PROGRAM

The International Consultation will bring together some 120 invited participants, representing different stake-holder groups from all world regions, in Bangkok, Thailand, from Monday 27 November to Friday 1 December.Venue:

Amari Watergate Hotel847 Petchburi Road

Bangkok 10400, ThailandTel. +66 (0) 2653 9000Fax. +66 (0) 2653 9045

Monday 27/11: draft paper presentations on drivers and consequences of change;Tuesday 28/11: market place and working groups in the morning, field trip in the afternoon;Wednesday 29/11: working group reporting, regional case-study presentation and cocktail poster session;Thursday 30/11: draft paper presentations on responses to change and response type working groups;Friday 01/12: response working group reporting, discussion and conclusions.

Participants are invited to present a poster. The poster area will also provide space for participating and sponsoring institutions to set up a booth.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For further details contact Laurie Neville, Co-Coordinator, Livestock in a Changing Landscape

at Lneville@stanford.edu, Fax: +1 650 723 9253, Tel: +1 650 619 4683

Livestock in a Changing Landscape Steering Committee:- Harold Mooney, Professor of Environmental Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, USA; Chair, Consequences of Industrialized Animal Production systems (CIAP), Scientific Committe for Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), International Council of Science- Henning Steinfeld, Coordinator, Livestock, Environment and Development Initiative (LEAD), Animal Production and Health Division, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rome, Italy- Fritz Schneider, Professor, Swiss College of Agriculture, Zollikofen, Switzerland; LEAD Steering Committee.- Bernard Toutain, Researcher, Département d’Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire Unité de Recherche en Partenariat Pôle Pastoral Zones Sèches (Cirad-Cse-Enea-Isra-Ucad), CIRAD, Dakar, Senegal- Shirley Tarawali, Theme Director, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia