Climate and environment
The lives of small-scale farmers are being upended by climate change. They need support to adapt to climate change and to protect the planet’s precious resources
Livestock - IFAD
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Livestock
60%
of rural households in low and middle-income countries depend on livestock
of rural households in low and middle-income countries depend on livestock
40%
of global agricultural value is from livestock
of global agricultural value is from livestock
350+
IFAD-financed projects since 2010 have included livestock
IFAD-financed projects since 2010 have included livestock
© IFAD/ Didor Sadulloev
Livestock provides food and income to many poor rural people around the world. Supporting sustainable livestock production and value chains is key to eradicating poverty and hunger while addressing climate challenges.
Context
Livestock is key to the food security and nutrition of over a billion rural people, contributing about 40 per cent of the total value of global agriculture. Rearing livestock is not only a traditional activity for many rural communities, but also a way to produce food on land that cannot be used for crops.
Yet for many rural people living in poverty, a lack of resources and information, as well as poor connections to markets and essential services, mean that they cannot benefit fully from their livestock. Many lack access to or cannot afford quality feed and fodder. They may see their herds and production affected by animal diseases. While livestock may be their largest financial investment, many poor households don’t have access to more resilient and productive animals and breeds.
Livestock also impacts the climate and the environment, which in turn affects rural people most acutely. About 12 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are from livestock. If best practices are not more widely adopted, meeting the increasing demand for meat, milk and eggs risks increasing these emissions. It also risks worsening environmental concerns such as loss of biodiversity, soil degradation and water and air pollution.
Opportunities
Small and large livestock – from cows to camels, pigs to poultry, buffalo to bees – can make a huge difference to rural people’s incomes while strengthening food security, boosting nutrition and building resilience.
Livestock provide a range of nutritious, protein-rich foods, such as eggs, meat and milk. These can be processed into a variety of products, diversifying both diets and incomes. Animals are also a source of leather, pelts and fibres, such as wool, mohair and cashmere. Bees not only produce honey but are also important pollinators. Manure makes soil more fertile for crops and can be turned into cooking fuel using biogas digesters. Livestock provide draught power for crop cultivation and to transport people and goods to market.
Poor rural families with limited access to financial services often use livestock as assets, investing in animals when they have extra money and selling them when they need cash. This strengthens their resilience in the face of economic and climate shocks.
The demand for meat and milk is estimated to increase by 52 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, between 2012 and 2050. As livestock are present in many poor rural households, this growing demand offers a unique opportunity for alleviating poverty – if they get access to markets.
With better livestock management, the impact of animal husbandry on emissions and the natural environment can be reduced. For example, ruminants are essential parts of healthy rangelands. Their careful management is necessary to prevent bush encroachment, reverse land degradation and enhance biodiversity. Chickens and pigs can be core parts of circular farming systems by consuming crop and kitchen waste and producing manure.
What IFAD does
IFAD supports resilient and efficient livestock production by the world’s poorest rural people. Our projects channel resources and technologies to improve animal health and feed. They also expand access to animals and breeds that produce more and are resilient to climate change and health risks. With our support, herders improve their feeding, manure and grazing management, enabling them to reduce their impact on the environment.
We strengthen livestock value chains so rural people have better access to nutritious and low-emissions animal-source foods. We do this by investing in technologies along the value chain, such as renewable energy, infrastructure to reduce food loss and equipment to process food into high-value products like yoghurt, while expanding market access. This enables livestock producers to earn more with fewer but higher-quality animals.
Women often play an important role in tending to livestock and marketing products. We support their economic and social empowerment through livestock, and seek to break cycles of poverty.
We promote access to services, like climate insurance, and support participatory solutions to climate change while improving the livelihoods of small-scale producers.
Our projects build knowledge and support policymaking for sustainable livestock value chains. For example, together with 15 countries that have signed the Global Methane Pledge, we are integrating methane reduction into national commitments through investments in livestock.
With our support, tools like GLEAM-i are used to assess greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. The findings inform national climate change commitments and enable countries to deploy climate finance.
Experts
Anne Mottet
Lead Technical Specialist (Livestock), Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division
[email protected]Charles Odhong'
Country Technical Analyst
[email protected]