 The world needs to double its output of meat by 2050 to meet growing demand, the U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a new "State of Food & Agriculture" report issued last Thursday.
Globally, the livestock sector now produces 228 million metric tons of meat. To meet rising demand, this will need to double in 40 years, putting added pressure on industry and governments to find answers to problems impeding one of the "fastest-growing" parts of agriculture, according to FAO.
"Rising incomes, population growth and urbanization are the driving forces behind a growing demand for meat products in developing countries, and they will continue to be important (Figure). To meet rising demand, global annual meat production is expected to expand from 228 mmt currently to 463 mmt by 2050, with the cattle population estimated to grow from 1.5 billion to 2.6 billion and that of goats and sheep from 1.7 billion to 2.7 billion," according to FAO estimates.
"Livestock contributes 40% of the global value of agricultural production and supports the livelihoods and food security of almost 1 billion people. Globally, livestock contributes 15% of total food energy and 25% of dietary protein. Products from livestock provide essential micronutrients that are not easily obtained from other plant food products," FAO said in its report published in Rome, Italy.
The market potential will be encouraging for the feed and livestock industries, which, in recent years, have experienced a series of jolts from animal health, economic and environmental factors. Governments and industry will need to find a way through these shocks.
A "more sustainable livestock sector" will need urgent investment, an important research push and "robust governance," FAO researchers said.
Importance of industry
Today, almost a billion people depend on livestock production for their livelihood.
"Livestock provides income, high-quality food, fuel, draught power, building material and fertilizer, thus contributing to food security and nutrition. For many small-scale farmers, livestock also provides an important safety net in times of need," FAO said, delivering a message that is unlikely to please critics of livestock production.
Still, today's model of commercial livestock production does not get a free pass from FAO. The report finds that small livestock producers are ever more challenged by large, intensive operations.
"A widening gulf is emerging between those who can take advantage of growing demand for livestock products and those who cannot," FAO said.
Smaller producers need support and help managing competition so they can take advantage of rising demand. Part of this should come through more robust rural development strategies that lead to more opportunities for off-farm income, the report notes.
"Policy-makers also need to recognize and protect livestock's safety net function for the very poor," FAO added.
Implications
The FAO report targets challenges the livestock sector faces from three directions: (1) "increasing pressure on ecosystems and natural resources," (2) the "globalization of food systems" and (3) "the social implications of the structural changes in the sector and the role of poor people in the process."
Researchers at FAO noted the direction governments and industry will need to look to respond to these challenges.
"The issue of governance is central," FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf wrote in the forward to the 180-page report. "Identifying and defining the appropriate role of government, in its broadest sense, is the cornerstone on which future development of the livestock sector must build."
Problems facing the livestock industry can only be solved by bringing all reasonable stakeholders into the hunt for solutions, the report suggests.
"They require integrated efforts by a wide range of stakeholders. Such efforts need to tackle the root causes in areas where the social, environmental and health impacts of the livestock sector and its rapid development are negative. They must also be realistic and equitable," Diouf said.
The full report can be downloaded from www.fao.org.
Growing demand for livestock products in a number of developing countries has been driven by economic growth, rising per capita incomes and urbanization. Source: U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization, "State of Food & Agriculture." | 
