November 3, 2024

Animal Production

The growth and transformation of the livestock sector offer meaningful opportunities by developing agriculture, reducing poverty, securing food gain, and improving human nutrition.

It also allows youth and women in rural areas to improve the use of natural resources and increase the resilience of households to cope with climate. However, before all of this can happen, several constraints complex interactions, and trade-offs need to be addressed.

FAO’s role in animal production

major-scale livestock production and related food chains supply a major portion of the world’s rising demand for animal products. Still, livestock is the lifeblood of hundreds of millions of pastoralists and small-scale farmers. 

In addition to being used to produce food, farm animals serve a variety of purposes and have significant cultural, economic, and social significance. They constitute a vital component of agro-ecosystems. 

With the help of small and big animal production systems, FAO aims to increase livestock’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by transforming them in ways that are sustainable.

In addition to satisfying consumer needs and enhancing the livelihoods of the impoverished, the organization raises awareness about policies and offers technical assistance, advocacy, information, and guidance to encourage the safe, efficient, and responsible production of high-quality animal products. 

In addition, FAO collaborates with governments and farmers to address livestock emergencies and foster communication among public, private, and civil society partners with the ultimate goal of ensuring ethical and sustainable livestock production. 

Animal genetics, animal husbandry, nutrition and feeding, antibiotic resistance, animal health and welfare, pastoralism, and agroecology are some of the topics covered by FAO’s program.

Key facts

Livestock contributes to nearly 40 percent of total agricultural output in developed countries and 20 percent in developing ones, supporting the livelihoods of at least 1.3 billion people worldwide.

Livestock consumes annually about 6 billion tonnes of feed dairy matter, about half being grass.

86% of livestock feed intake is made of resources that are not edible by humans.

Pastoralists promote rangeland health by improving soil fertility conserving biodiversity, managing fire, and accelerating nutrient cycling. 

Areas of work

The Organization provides assistance to member nations on a variety of overlapping topics, such as:

 Animal genetic resource management

  • monitoring national breed populations, putting the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources into practice, 
  • tracking advancement toward SDG indicators 2.5.1 and 2.5.2,

    Sustainable livestock production systems

  •  planning and carrying out the livestock industry’s sustainable development through, for example, aiding in the creation of livestock master plans that serve as a roadmap for investments and policies;
  •  enhancing livestock feeding systems, for instance by expanding the base of feed resources, raising feed safety, 
  • encouraging the use of innovative feed sources and related technologies, and lowering the competition between food and feed; 
  • offering advice and technical support on humane and ethical animal husbandry practices;
  •  lowering the use of antibiotics in animal production; facilitating the implementation of value-chain development, animal breeding programs

Livestock, climate change, and natural resource use

  • assessing the effectiveness of agroecological systems and strengthening the role of livestock in agroecosystems; 
  • addressing how cattle are affected by climate change, minimizing the environmental impact of livestock supply chains, and determining how initiatives and investments affect greenhouse gas emissions;

Pastoralism

  • promoting democratic decision-making, supportive policies and regulations for pastoralists, and assisting pastoral communities in maintaining the short- and medium-term socioeconomic, ecological, and technical balances inside and around pastoral systems to help them become more resilient.

Animal Production