FAO Report: Livestock in the Balance

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recently released its report, State of Food and Agriculture: Livestock in the Balance. This report concludes that:

• The livestock sector is expanding rapidly, driven by population growth, rising affluence and urbanization.
  
  
• Decisive action is required if increasing demand is to be met in ways that are environmentally sustainable and contribute to poverty alleviation and improved human health.
  
  
• The contribution of the livestock sector to poverty alleviation should be enhanced through appropriate policy reform and investments within a framework of broader rural development policies.
  
  
• Governance of the livestock sector should be strengthened to ensure that its development is environmentally sustainable and that it both adapts to and contributes to mitigating climate change.
  
  
• The neglect of animal-health systems in many parts of the world must be redressed, and producers at every level must be involved in the development of animal-disease and food-safety programmes.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2009

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