Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation - Opening Remarks

Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation 

Opening Remarks

By

Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General

 25 September 2023

 

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning from Rome.

 

This first ever Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to address the challenges and opportunities in the livestock sector and global agrifood systems.

 

Also, it is my first international conference after my re-election for a second term as FAO Director-General, which gives it an historic meaning.

 

From the start of history, humans started hunting, followed by the domestication of animals, and from there we developed today’s modern livestock sector.

 

There is a Chinese proverb that says: when you pick up the bowl with meat and rice you must enjoy. But today, when we pick up our bowls there are a lot of complaints about what could be better with what we are eating.

 

At FAO, together with Members, we work to address and fix these problems - not only related to livestock, but also agriculture, fisheries, forestry, water and soil, among others. This was at the core for the establishment of FAO.

 

We cannot just complain, we need to move to action to identify solutions to the problems.

 

Now is the right time to start a campaign on the importance of livestock and animal production, including fisheries and aquaculture.

 

We need to appreciate all people that work in the various related sectors, and we need to work together in a holistic manner to find solutions to our collective problems in a coherent manner.

 

This is the message I wish to share with you first today.

 

We are here to address a pressing challenge: how to make the livestock sector more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable, while providing improved social effects, better nutrition benefits, and more economic return with greater equity and less environmental impact.

 

Livestock production is a vital part of our agrifood systems, providing essential nutrients for all, and enhanced livelihoods and economic opportunities for billions of people around the world.

 

This is part of our modern life: we want to have a consistent supply of protein. In the developing world we should have access to, for example, drinking milk on a daily basis. Yet, in many of these countries often they do not have access to and cannot afford the sources of protein needed to ensure an improved daily nutrition level for children. That is why we are working together with other agencies and partners to ensure at least a glass of milk on a daily basis for all children.

 

Developing countries are still suffering from the lack of natural resources to produce staple food needed, including due to limited land. And sometimes there are vast lands, but they cannot find stable markets to export their products. These are extreme examples of problems related to the livestock sector, and this is why we need science-based facts to ensure effective policies based on specific, natural requirements of each country.

 

The livestock sector also faces additional complex challenges, such as environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and the impacts of the climate crisis, as well as the purchase power of developing nations that affects affordability.

 

The latest FAO-OECD Agriculture Outlook highlights the expected rapid expansion and intensification of livestock production in low- and middle-income countries, resulting in a fast-growing demand for feed over the next decade.

 

For this reason, at FAO we will also focus on animal feed, and we will plan to convene a global conference on animal feed in 2024.

 

Normally, the livestock sector concentrates on leftovers and vegetable residues for animal feed, but now we need to progress forward in modernizing animal feed to ensure it is environmentally friendly, with a balance between safeguarding natural resources and the use of industrial feed, which means recycling and avoiding loss and waste.

 

In Sub-Saharan and North Africa, as well as the Near East, livestock is expected to increase by more than 20 percent, mostly due to the expansion of the dairy and poultry meat sectors, as well as a consequence of improved livelihoods due to industrialization with more people moving to the cities and requiring more livestock products.

 

FAO is providing technical support to Members to strengthen the contribution of the livestock sector towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Our work on sustainable livestock production systems is at the core of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, to support the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life – leaving no one behind.

 

At FAO, we need to focus on Better Production, which is our basic mandate. This is the first time that at FAO we are concentrating on Better Production, and this is why we are hosting these two large conferences this week – this one on Sustainable Livestock Transformation, and the one starting on Wednesday on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization.

 

Mechanization is vital to ensure better production in the agricultural sectors, and mechanization is the future of agriculture to attract the youth to the sector, as well as for the development of smallholder farmers around the world.

 

It is important to refocus and reprioritize in line with the true spirit of FAO’s mandate.

 

This Global Conference will assess how the livestock sector contributes to food security and nutrition, integrating the latest scientific findings with time-tested local knowledge as a new business model. We need to learn from each other, whether big or small!

 

Let me provide an example: during the recent joint Rome-based agencies’ visit to South Sudan, we saw how the sector even though small is developing at a fast pace and the huge potential in the country for rice production, for example, with the potential to supply rice to the whole of East Africa. This means that large investors from Europe or North America or Asia should be investing in countries like South Sudan with the potential to be producing at a global level.

 

We need to build a true global sharing economic, based on agricultural production!

 

This Global Conference will provide evidence-based date for effective policymaking to increase productivity through innovations for improved feeding, animal genetics and husbandry practices, with special attention to animal health and welfare, as well as across the whole value chain, post harvesting and food processing.

 

It is a unique platform that brings together policymakers, researchers, farmers, pastoralists, and other partners, to exchange ideas, share experiences and discuss innovative solutions to current challenges, and identify concrete actions for increased sustainability and resilience in the livestock sector, and beyond.

 

By convening this conference, FAO is providing a neutral platform for all actors across all regions to highlight available knowledge and ensure equitable access to the latest information and innovation for all.

 

Through the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative, we can offer a holistic design for the implementation of national pathways. And through the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum to be held as part of the World Food Forum 2023, we can attract key partners to support countries with their Investment Plans.

 

The World Food Forum will also concentrate on women, youth and rural farmers, and on science and innovation, as key elements.

 

FAO may be large and old, but it is the most authoritative global platform, with an unmatched comparative advantage in food and agriculture to share knowledge and to bring together all actors and partners to explore the full potential of the agrifood sector.

 

This is how FAO can change the global business model.

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

To produce more with less, we must focus on improving efficiency, including through optimizing feed conversion, reducing feed loss and waste, and enhancing nutrient utilization.

 

By doing so, we can reduce the pressure on biodiversity and land and water resources, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and mitigate environmental degradation.

 

To accelerate sustainable livestock transformation and transform agrifood systems, we must embrace the principles of One Health by integrating multidisciplinary expertise and perspectives.

 

We must mitigate the risks of zoonotic diseases, as well as antimicrobial resistance by addressing overuse and misuse of antimicrobial agents in both human medicine and animal production and health, including crops and aquaculture.

 

That is why we start with the animal sector and then we integrate all the expertise across all relevant sectors into a One Health approach.

 

FAO can bring together top scientists from all relevant sectors to work with Members in their national One Health strategies.

 

One Health starts with animals but does not end with animals – it is far broader than this. And FAO looks forward to working with all Members that are willing to take this broader approach to One Health.

 

Our discussions this week must be guided by the principles of inclusivity, equity, and sustainability for all, with a focus on involving small-scale farmers and pastoralists, indigenous communities, and marginalized groups in shaping sustainable livestock systems that leave no one behind.

 

During this conference we will also hear the voices of the youth through the Youth Dialogue, to share opportunities and solutions for empowering youth in the livestock sector.

 

I look forward to our discussions and to sharing our collective expertise, insights, and experience, and to carry these recommendations forward to the FAO Committee on Agriculture’s Sub-Committee on Livestock. But not only this small sub-committee, but also beyond, to identify all actions needed across FAO’s work to support Members to establish a leading model for the transformation of the livestock and agriculture sector at large.

 

Let us continue to strengthen the momentum, in the spirit of collaboration and innovation, for a decade of actions for sustainable livestock transformation, and beyond.

 

Together, we can build a more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable future for the livestock sector, and for the agriculture sector, as well as for social-environmental coherency.

 

We need clean water, a healthy environment and sustainable nature-based products – all of which cannot be produced in factories. We still depend on nature for our resources.

 

Let us walk the talk for the benefit of prosperity, for people and for the planet.

 

Thank you.