There are many uncertain projections about the future of food but for Hsin Huang, Chairperson of the LEAP Steering Committee one thing is clear: livestock production will respond to the continued global population growth, especially when it comes to countries where access to food and adequate nutrient intake are still insecure and compromised. Yet, for the new Chair the challenge the livestock sector is facing today does not concern the volume of global livestock production itself, but rather the way these products are produced, processed and distributed in different regions of the world.

Livestock contributes to nutrition and food security, but it is also part of a complex global agricultural system whose mechanisms can be better understood when viewed from a local perspective. “Efficient livestock production systems depend very much on where you are in the world”, Huang says. “Thanks to this diversity we can maximize opportunities, but at the same time we need to respond to the social and economic questions and the livelihood-related challenges that are very different from a country to another”, he adds. According to Huang, this complexity is together the strength and weakness of a global livestock system.

In short, according to Huang, there is not one single answer to the question of which production system is more sustainable than others, but rather a multiplicity of solutions that take into account the specificities of territories and local production systems. For the LEAP Steering Committee Chair, this is also why today it becomes difficult to have a balanced discussion on livestock at the global level. "But the fact that this complexity is difficult to explain doesn’t mean that this should remain a mystery”, he stresses. On the contrary, “we need to engage the public and consumers in a two way discussion because the future of livestock is in our hands and depends entirely on what we collectively decide as a society”, he adds.

This year, FAO inaugurated its first Sub-Committee on Livestock acknowledging the important contribution of livestock in the realization of the 2030 Agenda. The unique role and position of FAO LEAP was highly recognized by COAG members. FAO LEAP provides a global multi-stakeholder platform where all actors along the livestock supply chain can equally contribute to an international dialogue, shape, and transfer knowledge, while monitoring the environmental impacts and performance of the livestock sector through data and science based analysis. According to Huang, “in the FAO LEAP network and international community, we believe livestock is an essential part of food and nutrition security, and we are ready to back this up with science, knowledge and shared experiences”.